KPN has conducted a 5G pilot in the port of Rotterdam with partners Shell, Huawei, ExRobotics, Accenture and ABB, looking at how the new mobile technology and network sensors can help optimise production processes, industrial maintenance and workplace safety.
Shell Pernis successfully tested 5G as a means to supporting predictive maintenance on its some 160,000 km of pipelines in the area. The use of UHD cameras and machine learning helped the company plan better for expected future maintenance. Inspectors and engineers with tablets also used 5G and augmented reality to access extra information about process installations, helping to optimise work at the refinery.
KPN has deployed an experimental 5G network in the Rotterdam harbour using test spectrum in the 700, 3,500 and 2,300 MHz bands, as part of four filed trials underway for 5G. Other applications tested at the site include a mobile inspection robot connected over 5G and critical inspections with a smart 5G helmet.
