Nokia says it has launched an array of industrial 5G devices to keep enterprise teams and public safety workers safe, connected and informed over private wireless networks in hazardous and industrial environments such as ports, mines, chemical plants and offshore oil platforms.
The company is introducing new ruggedised 5G handhelds, a new industrial device consumption model, and enhancements to worker and device related applications. By adding these new assets to Nokia’s end-to-end platform for industrial digitalisation, along with its private wireless and edge applications, the company says it reinforces its industry leadership with a market-leading portfolio and strengthens its commitment to help industrial enterprises navigate their digital transformation journeys, ensuring their operations are more safe, productive and efficient.
The new Nokia Industrial devices are suitable for all types of enterprises and include a ruggedised handheld supporting public safety teams communicating over Band 68. The US-manufactured handheld device has a long lifecycle and is IP 68-rated for operation in remote or harsh environments. Dual-SIM, including flexibility adding eSIM, ensures the most reliable connectivity and simplified management, while an exchangeable battery allows shift workers to share devices in the field. Teams can customise keys to define a dedicated push-to-talk button, while other large buttons and optional accessories, including remote speaker microphones and earpieces enabling push-to-talk, allow workers to communicate clearly and safely without removing safety equipment like helmets and gloves.
Nokia is also expanding the portfolio of ruggedised 5G handhelds with EX-rated phones – all with the same technical platform.
The company has partnered with i.safe MOBILE GmbH, world market leader for explosion-proof mobile devices and solutions. Two i.safe MOBILE 5G handhelds are now part of the Nokia end-to-end solution for private wireless infrastructures. They have been rigorously tested and certified to meet the connectivity demands of sectors such as oil and gas, mining and chemical manufacturers, Nokia says. They can be safely used in hazardous areas (ATEX Zone 1) or further away (ATEX Zone 2) where flammable atmosphere is not likely but could occur for a short time. These handhelds offered by Nokia, support all necessary radio frequency bands, have all required certifications, and can thus be used by companies worldwide, the company says.
Nokia will also offer its managed ruggedized 5G industrial devices deployed over Nokia Digital Automation Cloud (DAC) in a subscription-based ‘as-a-Service’ (aaS) model. Application bundles include Nokia Industrial device management, which allows administrators to apply group policies and scale management to their entire device fleet, Nokia Team Comms and Nokia Network Digital Twin. This model allows enterprises to move asset costs from capital to operating expenses and more easily connect workers and manage the fleet of industrial devices in their plants, according to the company. Moving forward, Nokia will continue to add more types of devices to the managed aaS model.
The updated Nokia Team Comms (NTC) 23 application running on Nokia Mission Critical Industrial Edge (MXIE) now aligns to the 3GPP defined MCS (Mission Critical Services) standard. NTC will address the needs of mission-critical push-to-talk (MCPTT), providing communication capabilities usually only available in more complex and expensive solutions for workers in harsh environments. NTC allows users to stream video or establish voice calls with a group of users or a single user to gain the greatest context about any situation. The new version will allow administrators to configure changes to their device fleet via a newly built web portal. Deployed on MXIE residing on-premises, Nokia Team Comms ensures data remains within the teams that use it. It works without internet connectivity and scales from small number of users to large groups.
Nokia is also extending the capabilities of Nokia Network Digital Twin (NDT) to all Android devices, allowing coverage and performance data for Wi-Fi, private and public cellular networks to be automatically collected in real time and processed on Nokia MXIE. Enterprises in dynamic environments, such as ports, factories or mines, can see how changes in their operations impact network performance and use this insight to inform future network planning and use case decisions.
Martin Haaf, CEO of i.safe MOBILE, said: “Through this partnership, we are pleased to support Nokia with our decades of expertise in explosion-proof mobile devices with our latest 5G developments. The combination of our devices with Nokia’s solutions offers companies a great added value on their digitalisation journey.”
Martin Beltrop, Head of Industrial Devices, Enterprise Campus Edge Solutions, Nokia, said: “At Nokia we are committed to helping enterprises reliably connect workers in the most intuitive ways to keep them safe and productive. By extending our portfolio with the new 5G handheld devices and making Nokia Team Comms 3GPP-aligned, we can serve the growing needs of enterprise workers in industrial and hazardous environments as well as public safety teams. And, by leveraging the new capabilities of Nokia Network Digital Twin, teams will have more information than ever before allowing them to make instant informed decisions to maintain efficiency and network reliability in their dynamically changing environments.”