Nokia teamed with solutions provider Edzcom to deliver a standalone (SA) private 5G network at a smart factory in Finland for manufacturing giant Konecranes, as the technology’s use case continue to broaden.

In a statement, Nokia said Edzcom would deploy the private wireless and application platform based on the vendor’s Digital Automation Cloud, which is designed to provide high-bandwidth, low-latency private networking and local edge computing.

The 5G network will enable Konecranes to research and develop digitalised factory and port solutions along with increased automation, as part of current trends in the sector.

Stephan Litjens, VP enterprise solutions at Nokia Cloud and Network Services explained Konecranes had been at the “forefront” of private wireless, having also introduced an LTE-based set-up four years ago to develop solutions for a part of its business.

“By now deploying 5G to explore and develop its potential in factories and ports, Konecranes underscores its pioneering position in leveraging digitalisation to enhance productivity and safety,” he added.

Edzcom further talked up its experience in designing and operating private wireless solutions across different locations, adding the reliability of such solutions are business critical, with “effective connections” needed to create an ecosystem of connected devices.

For Nokia, the move added to more than 260 enterprise customer deployments of private networks, of which more than 40 incorporate 5G.