Swedish operator Telia joined forces with Ericsson to debut a private industrial 5G network in the Baltics, with the duo outlining use cases including digital twins and robotics to ramp operational efficiency at the vendor’s Estonian facility.

The private network will be deployed at an Ericsson supply facility in Tallinn, a main site which accounts for nearly half of the vendor’s production, the company noted in a statement.

Under the partnership, the facility will benefit from Ericsson’s private 5G to modernise operations through enhanced indoor coverage and integration of wireless sensors and devices.

Andre Visse, CTO of Telia Estonia, said the company’s close ties with Ericsson enabled it to be the first operator “to open new generation mobile networks in Estonia, from the very first 1G to the latest 5G generation”, noting next-generation innovations which help industry players “create more environmentally friendly and sustainable future”.

Country manager of Ericsson’s Estonian unit Sirli Manniksaar added the Industry 4.0 partnership is crucial in today’s “highly-competitive manufacturing environment” and emphasised the importance of “keeping up with the latest technological capabilities” in staying ahead of the curve.

Manniksaar identified video analytics, remote vehicle tracking and robotics as emerging technologies that “empower daily operations”.

The Swedish duo expect their latest collaboration to drive significant impact on the manufacturing site as well as Estonia’s economy, citing IDC research which predicted private LTE/5G revenue to exceed $8.3 billion by 2026.

Earlier this year, Ericsson and Telia launched NorthStar, an innovation programme designed to boost 5G deployments in Sweden’s smart industry.