Nokia won a contract to supply a private 5G network for aircraft services provider Lufthansa Technik’s industrial facility in Hamburg, following a year-long pilot of the system.

As a result of the agreement, the deployment of the Nokia 5G Standalone private wireless network will move off the runway into full deployment.

It will enable a range of use cases including remote engine maintenance inspection for Lufthansa Technik civil aviation customers, a facility which formed the core of the year-long trial.

During the test phase, its partners were able to communicate in real time with engine mechanics performing maintenance work over a high resolution video link, with the opportunity to jointly inspect dismantled parts.

In a statement on the deal, Lufthansa Technik CIO Stephan Drewes pointed to the advantages of the remote inspection approach during pandemic measures, adding he expected customers to move to exclusively remote inspections or a hybrid model going forward.

The contract is Nokia’s latest private 5G deal with deployments across a range of markets and in a number of industrial facilities from factories to mining.