ArcelorMittal France, in partnership with Orange Business Services and Ericsson, announces the launch of 5G Steel, the largest industrial
4G/5G network.
The French government supports this initiative through its economic recovery plan, France Relance, which has now enabled the first industrial applications at the ArcelorMittal plant in Dunkirk. Luxembourg-headquartered multinational steel company ArcelorMittal, Swedish multinational network and telecommunications company Ericsson, and French multinational telecommunications company Orange collaborated on this 5G-specific industrial use case. ArcelorMittal first launched 5G steel in November 2021 for the first industrial use cases requiring enhanced mobile broadband (eMBB).
5G Steel Industrial Use Cases
The Connected Operator: The mobility of people and processes enabled by 5G steel is revolutionizing work in industrial environments. For example, in a hot strip rolling mill, data collection, entry, and sharing tasks can be done more efficiently and effectively using tables. This includes checks during maintenance operations, safety checks, and lockout/tagout procedures.
Steel Recycling
ArcelorMittal’s steel recycling facility is facilitated by a wide coverage area and a high data transfer rate (throughput). Upon arrival, the steel is weighed and scanned to determine its density and composition. Quality control operators will quickly transmit this information via 5G steel. Machine operators, such as cranes and stackers, receive information directly from the production programme and can update their operations with 5G steel.
5G steel configuration
- 9 radio stations with 4X4 MiMo antennas to cover Dunkirk and Mardyck sites
- 1 core with dynamic geographic aggregation to manage up to 50,000 users
- 1 monitoring tool to manage and use a 5G steel router:
Future use cases
In the future, ArcelorMittal sites will develop mobility initiatives in other operating environments, including autonomous rail vehicles in Dunkirk and Florange, autonomous road vehicles, widespread use of mobile maintenance with field data suggestions, virtual and augmented reality applications, and safety devices.
5G Steel features meet industry challenges with wide coverage, high speed, low latency, network slicing, and data security.
The deployment of 5G steel aims to promote the growth of the French ecosystem around the value chain of industrial applications. The network includes the main port of Dunkerque and ArcelorMittal’s digital laboratories in Dunkerque and Florange, and trials are underway to extend coverage to the Hauts-de-France and Grand Est regions.
5G steel is currently in use at ArcelorMittal’s Dunkerque and Mardyck plants in northern France and will be expanded to other sites in 2023, including Florange in eastern France.
