Pilot project with 5G creates opportunities for forestry

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Telenor and Ericsson supply private 5G networks to Skogforsk, the Forestry Research Institute of Sweden. Jointly they will run a pilot project exploring how 5G can be used for remote control of forest machines thus making a positive difference for both the forest industry and the employees in the industry.

The project will be the first to compare connectivity of local 5G with other technologies to see at what distance remote control is possible and what tasks can be performed remotely.

Petrus Jönsson, Deputy Program Manager, Skogforsk, says: "Remote control can increase efficiency and strengthen the competitiveness of both Swedish and Nordic forestry. It can also fundamentally improve the working environment for operators, reduce the number of accidents and lead to increased interest in forestry professions."

For remote management in a forest environment to work safely, high transmission speed of video in real time, low latency and high reliability in different types of terrains and weather conditions are required. Today,  WiFi is used to a limited extent. With 5G, significantly better range and power can be achieved.

Andreas Kristensson, Head of IoT and New Business, Telenor Sweden, says: "There is no doubt that 5G will be superior to WiFi, create new opportunities and solve many needs. Since it will be a while before 5G is so developed that it can be used widely in the forest industry, we are now testing with local 5G which will be an important complement."

Thomas Norén, Head of Dedicated Networks, Ericsson, says: "The forest industry's communication needs match the possibilities of private 5G networks very well. These networks create local areas with extremely high capacity and reliability where coverage has previously been lacking or deficient. This gives the forest industry access to modern communication in order to take the next step in digitalisation. We see an exciting development of new advanced applications for 5G in the industry." 

The research will be carried out in the Troëdsson Forestry Teleoperation Lab. Skogforsk will lead and document the project that will compare remote control solutions locally and over longer distances. Private 5G will be compared with WiFi and 4G as well as combinations of these.

Ericsson will support the project as a supplier of 5G equipment and Telenor has been appointed supplier of 5G equipment and system integration. Telenor delivers in collaboration with partners and in the ecosystem that Telenor develops within the framework of 5G.


Source: Ericsson