Nokia has been selected by regional Japanese cable TV, broadband and telephony operator KATCH Network to deliver 5G standalone (SA) private wireless networking throughout the Aichi Prefecture, a hi-tech/automotive manufacturing hub in Japan. KATCH will offer autonomous industrial-grade private wireless networks for businesses in the region, enabling the manufacturing, automotive and industrial sectors to deploy IoT, machine learning, AI and automation for efficiency, safety and productivity gains. Tatsuya Yamada, Executive Vice President, KATCH Network, said: ‘Given Nokia’s 5G expertise we can now help Aichi-based manufacturers to benefit from reliable and secure, high-bandwidth networking, which delivers the hyper-fast connectivity and low latency essential for Industry 4.0 use cases.’ KATCH will begin the commercial launch of its private wireless network offering in Q2 2022, with three base stations in the first phase, and full deployment to comprise more than 100 cell sites.
STC Kuwait announced that its business arm Solutions by STC has partnered with eMushrif, an Omani company specialised in IoT and AI technology, to provide corporate customers with customised transportation management systems, in addition to smart and safety solutions designed for HR systems. The new systems, developed in-house by eMushrif, will allow seamless tracking and monitoring of multiple parameters that can enhance trip efficiency, maintain passenger safety, and report key indicators. The solution consists of hardware installed on transportation vehicles, specialised key cards, as well as an interactive app that provides regular updates and trip details.
Vodafone Romania has expanded its portfolio of business digitisation solutions with a suite of products dedicated to farmers, integrating NB-IoT and other IoT technologies based on sensors for collection, analysis and management of essential data for growing crops, automation of operations, monitoring of various parameters, emergency event alerts and predictions to increase efficiency and productivity in agriculture. Mihnea Radulescu, Director of Vodafone’s Enterprise Business Unit, added that the NB-IoT network’s national reach can serve hard-to-reach farming areas where other communication technologies have no coverage.
Rogers Communications has partnered InDro Robotics and the University of British Columbia’s MeridaLabs to complete Canada’s first remotely piloted aircraft system (RPAS) flight over a 5G network at the UBC campus in Vancouver. 5G will enable the ability to fly drones on autonomous missions from remote command centres connected over a 5G network, and the 5G infrastructure Rogers has installed at UBC is enabling researchers and partners to explore future innovations, including parcel tracking, scheduling, and delivery by drone. 5G drones are expected to provide untapped services for a number of industries including agriculture, natural resources, infrastructure and utilities, construction, first responders and more.
The Korea Herald reports that SK Telecom has commercialised the world’s first 5G-based disinfection robot in a move to automate anti-infection efforts against COVID-19 in health care facilities. The telco partnered with Yongin Severance Hospital to deploy the robot, which uses a real-time location system using a 5G network to roam around the hospital on its own and monitor people’s temperatures and whether they are wearing masks. The robot is also equipped with an ultraviolet disinfection system to remove bacteria and germs around the hospital. SK Telecom said the robot can also detect the location of missing patients through its real-time location system and analysis of patient density within the hospital. The robot is based on SK Telecom’s existing guide robot brand Keemi. Last year, SK Telecom developed an autonomous disinfection robot with Omron Electronics Korea, which was deployed at the mobile carrier’s headquarters in Seoul.
Q-commerce company Foodora and telecoms operator Tele2 Sweden have progressed their testing of home deliveries via 5G technology in central Stockholm, with self-driving ‘Doora’ robots beginning autonomous food deliveries to a test group of customers. A first phase in mid-March saw Doora driving on the streets of the city, for analysis of its ability to work around objects, passers-by, pedestrian crossings and curbs. In the new phase, Doora delivers to customers via the Foodora platform.
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