At the GSMA Mobile 360 Eurasia, Egor Manyukov, integrated comprehensive solution manager, ZTE Russia, shares ZTE's explorations in industrial applications of 5G.

What are the various industries from the point of view of the digital economy? We can see that digitalization gives impetus to the emergence of completely new directions in the industry, including the development of the Internet, technologies and services. All this is based on the basic principles of communication (standards) and is implemented on the basis of the latest developments in the electronics industry (i.e. chips). On the other hand, we see classical industries (industrial production, mining, energy, medicine, education, and so on) that currently require digitalization to increase efficiency at all stages of planning, production, management and operation. At the heart here is the data that needs to be processed quickly with the help of appropriate tools. And 5G in this case acts as a bridge between the latest innovative industries and applied digitalization tasks in classical industries.

What does digital transformation with 5G look like in vertical industries? The main technologies that are already available and are used to solve applied problems (such as big data, artificial intelligence, slicing, edge computing), with the help of 5G are transformed into appropriate services (augmented reality, remote control, video surveillance from cameras and drones), and then implemented in specific vertical industries to solve applied problems. Let's look at the most significant scenarios that we have managed to implement for various industries in different parts of the globe.

Let's start with a well-known saying: If you want to change the world for the better, start with yourself. ZTE has implemented digital solutions based on 5G at its leading factory in Nanjing for the production of telecom equipment (such as BBU—Baseband Module, AAU—active antennas). Digital transformation is applied at all stages of the smart factory operation, includes checking the components that have arrived for defects using machine vision, remote control of conveyor robots, patrol robots, automatic means of transportation in workshops and in the finished product warehouse, the use of digital counterparts of finished equipment for quality control. Because of this, it was possible to reduce the cost of maintenance of the production line by 47%, as well as improve the detection of problem areas by 80% compared to the manual procedure. How was this system implemented?

A high-precision cloud network was implemented that covers the factory itself and the campus located around it. The solution is deployed in the data center in the Binjiang district, where the factory is located. There is also an IoT platform on which various applications are deployed. Already directly in the factory premises, closer to the workshops, there is mobile edge computing (MEC) equipment that performs boundary calculations that reduce latency and achieve real-time operation of machines and mechanisms when receiving remote commands. We use active antennas for external coverage and the Qcell solution for internal coverage when we get a precise cloud network, when cloud services are close to us and meet our needs.

The next important and very interesting case is the port. In the Port of Antwerp in Belgium, we managed to implement a collaboration between us, the ZTE vendor, the Orange operator, the state represented by the largest shareholder of the port and the largest companies that constantly use the port infrastructure for their business, such as Covestro, Borealis, Basf. The first interesting case is related to the direct activities of the port itself. The fact is that the territory of the facility is located in the depths of the continent far enough from the open sea, and therefore the place for maneuvering ships is strictly limited. Two small tugboats are used to guide the vessel—one from the bow, the other from the aft side of the ship. Previously, the captains of the ships did not see each other and used only voice communication for negotiations. With the introduction of 5G, thanks to high-definition video cameras, tugboat captains and dispatchers see images of ships from any angle, which allows for a fast and safe process of mooring the vessel and increasing the safety, efficiency and throughput of the port. The Mission Critical Push-to-Talk system was implemented for Basf, and this is not an ordinary closed-circuit negotiation system, but is fully integrated into the enterprise's platform for managing all processes and transmitting, if necessary, video images, location and other necessary data. A system for collecting technical parameters from chemical production and storage equipment located in the port was implemented for Colvestro using wireless 5G sensors. And for Borealis, a system for automatic detection of various fractions in the supplied material was implemented using machine vision. Different slices with different priorities were used for different services on a single system.

The use of 5G in medicine has become especially relevant in the current epidemiological situation. In many hospitals in China, robots were used instead to minimize human visits to red zones. They allow you to analyze the patient's condition and transfer data to medical staff, deliver food and medicines to the patient. Another important aspect is that, thanks to online medicine with the transmission of video images and data on the condition of patients diagnosed by a robot, the availability of highly qualified medical care for residents of remote rural areas has increased many times.

Smart learning scenarios allow students to visit various points of the globe and time epochs using high-definition video and a holographic presence effect. Also, data analysis using artificial intelligence allows you to automatically monitor the attendance of lessons, as well as, for example, the delivery of standards in physical education lessons. But most importantly, practical classes with virtual and augmented reality will allow us to better unlock the potential of a new generation of students and attract the best talents for the benefit of humanity.

And this is only a small part of the successful experience that ZTE has in implementing 5G projects. To summarize briefly, we have developed over 100 5G application scenarios for 15 industries, and to date have implemented more than 60 demonstration projects in China and around the world and this will be continued with more and more partners.