Telefonica said it will become the first Spanish operator to launch a commercial range of industrial 5G services via its Telefonica Tech unit starting in January 2022. The offering for large companies and public administrations will include 5G-powered robots, drones and remote assistance equipment designed to take advantage of the 5G SA (Standalone) network the company will begin rolling out in earnest in 2022 after acquiring 700 MHz frequencies earlier this year.
In a statement, Telefonica said it expects 40 percent of Spain’s industrial sector to demand 5G connectivity at speeds of up to 10Gbps and the possibility of connecting up to 1 million devices per square kilometre over the next five years or so.
The first 3 proposals developed by Telefonica Tech to be made available from January include autonomously guided vehicles (AGVs) for industrial use connected via bidirectional IoT to perform repetitive tasks without human intervention, such as moving loads, 24 hours a day.
The operator will also be offering 5G drones to carry out surveillance tasks, inspections of land and recordings of events as well as a 5G remote assistance service with optional augmented reality to operate or repair equipment in real time. The latter will be especially suitable for sectors such as industry, logistics, health and utilities, said Telefonica.
