Page 23 - EE Times Europe March 2022

EE|Times EUROPE 23

OPINION | 5G
One of the most interesting and rele-
Network on Wheels vant use cases highlighted to explain the
advantages and opportunities for NoW
focuses on putting the “smart” in a smart
Solves Comms Problems factory: specifically, Ericsson’s recently
opened manufacturing facility for 5G radios
in Lewisville, Texas.
The companies note that the factory runs
By John Walko on a 5G private network modeled on the
network-on-wheels idea. For example, the
autonomous guided vehicles that deliver
The mobile communications industry has a well-deserved parts to the numerous assembly locations
reputation for proposing useful and practical ideas and devising their no longer need to follow the typical painted
solutions, coming up with great technologies — as well as any num- lines on the factory floor; instead, the net-
ber of buzzwords. The latest in the latter category is the “network work allows them to talk to each other. The
on wheels” (NoW), which looks to turn the traditional concept of communications links of the NoW-based
complex cellular network deployment on its head. setup also enable a technician to look at
Two of the leading proponents of the concept also happen to be any specific aspect of the production with
two of the biggest and most influential actors in the sector: Ericsson augmented-reality glasses connected to the
and Verizon. The idea is a simple one — not unusual when big 5G network and make adjustments when
companies get the opportunity to think outside of the box — and the results of the companies’ and where needed.
brainstorming and subsequent partnership appear to be gaining traction. In another example, the team devised a
Basically, NoW brings the advantages of high-speed 4G and 5G networks to demanding cir- NoW application to help an Indianapolis
cumstances in difficult environments via a pre-packaged and pre-integrated solution that can 500 auto-racing team gain a potential edge
be transported in a plane or truck and then literally wheeled to wherever the network is needed, by tracking data during the race literally
generally under time pressure and for a specific, one-off reason. milliseconds faster than their rivals.
The project got rolling when Verizon was asked by a client to provide a 5G network for a Using the network on wheels, Team
demonstration it was arranging at a consumer electronics exhibition in Hawaii. The locale Penske could put many more cameras
chosen for the demo was lovely but had no network, little technology to speak of, and very little around the racetrack and get additional
space for the equipment that would be necessary. angles of how the cars handled the terrain.
Having worked with the Swedish equipment supplier on numerous big projects, the operator The camera wirelessly streamed high-
contacted Ericsson to help devise and build a “network” in a box on wheels that could be shipped definition video to the production center
to the customer location and set up simply by plugging the unit into a wall socket. The box had so the engineers could analyze them in real
to contain all the required elements in a pre-integrated configuration so that the network would time and relay instructions to the drivers on
be as simple as possible to deploy and could be up and running within hours. the track.
The pair devised a functional setup that comprises the radio network, core and transport Previously, the team had to spend several
networks, and associated management network, using Ericsson’s baseband, router, and necessary days running cables to different locations
servers, all running the appropriate software. around the track where they could locate
The companies say they have deployed 38 networks on wheels worldwide in a variety of use the cameras. This was expensive and
cases, maintaining that the NoW is no longer a proof of concept but a commercial reality. NoW time-consuming, and the number of cam-
deployments have achieved the necessary connectivity needs with required low latency in eras that could be deployed was limited.
convention centers, sports arenas, industrial facilities, hospitals, universities, and A NoW is also being used in another auto-
autonomous-vehicle test centers, according to the partners. Industry sectors that have been motive context: Ericsson and Verizon are
helped include manufacturing, health care, entertainment, retail, and even IoT. working with the University of Michigan’s
Mcity test center for smart vehicles. This
groundbreaking mock town — complete
with streets, intersections, stop signs, and
traffic lights — has deployed a low-latency
NoW setup to improve connected- and
autonomous-vehicle testing.
My take on this novel idea is that the
companies deserve to enjoy the apparent
success they are having with the network on
wheels. Competitor infrastructure suppliers
and operators are likely also looking at the
opportunity in different verticals — private
networks would seem an obvious target —
and I would not be surprised if other similar
partnerships arrive on the horizon.
But I doubt any will come up with a better
acronym than NoW. ■

(Source: Ericsson) John Walko is a veteran electronics industry
reporter and EE Times Europe contributor.

www.eetimes.eu | MARCH 2022