ArcelorMittal France announced the operational launch of 5G Steel, the largest 4G/5G network in the industrial environment, with Orange Business Services and Ericsson.
The initiative, supported by the French government as part of the France Relance economy revival plan, is now enabling the first industrial use cases to be implemented at the ArcelorMittal site in Dunkerque.
5G Steel in figures
- 9 radio sites with 4X4 MiMo antennas to cover the Dunkerque and Mardyck sites
- 1 core with dynamic geographic redundancy to manage up to 50,000 users
- 1 monitoring tool to manage and operate the 5G Steel network
- 19 Cradlepoint routers, a subsidiary of Ericsson
- 80% of the area is above speed targets
Network construction
- Nov 23, 2021: Project launch
- Dec 8, 2021: Defining the positioning of the antennas
- Apr 22, 2022: Installation of the core and the 1st antenna
- Aug 5, 2022: Installation complete
- Sep 1, 2022: Authorization to use frequencies
- Oct 13, 2022: The network at the Dunkerque site is switched on
Franck Bouétard, CEO of Ericsson France, commented: “The private network will allow ArcelorMittal to accelerate the digitalization of the various critical industrial processes on the site and to extend it to the Port of Dunkerque. Connectivity everywhere, real-time monitoring, and security requirements are at the heart of the solutions implemented. We are proud to support ArcelorMittal to pave the way for industrial 5G in Europe and France.”
Valérie Cussac, Executive Vice President Smart Mobility Services, at Orange Business Services, said: “We are delighted to support ArcelorMittal with our dual expertise as an integrator operator. 5G Steel allows maximum use of their critical data in complete security. By combining the performance and robustness of 5G with our ecosystem of partners and start-ups, we provide innovation and digital technology to our innovative industrial customers, like ArcelorMittal, to create a positive impact.”