Can 5G Unlock Industry 4.0?

But, industry will need help in the form of greater cooperation between suppliers and end-users to implement this vision, specifically the ability for OEMs and component suppliers to gain access to manufacturer IT networks for the purpose of fault-finding, remote monitoring and assisting with technical support.

At the moment, many companies remain deeply reluctant to allow suppliers access to IT networks or data to enable them to predict component failure or optimise machinery. Concerns about bugs and viruses have developed into deeper concerns about cyber-security and hacking. The downside risks of opening up IT networks to suppliers outweigh the benefits in the minds of IT directors.

However, on the horizon, is a potential answer in the form of 5G technology. 5G is much more than enhanced 4G, not least because it enables ‘network slicing’, a form of virtual network architecture with a single network capable of being ‘sliced’ into multiple virtual networks.

Each ‘slice’ can be customised with further virtual private networks to meet the needs of specific applications, services and devices. When used in combination, ‘slicing’ and virtual private network technology could enable a manufacturer to grant access to a specific ‘slice’ for an MRO provider, machine builder and automation provider, via an app. This ‘slice’ is, in effect, a secure area in which information can be stored, shared and analysed.

Crucially, each virtual network or ‘slice’ will be isolated. If cyber-security is breached in one ‘slice’, the attack is contained and cannot spread.

5G therefore has the potential to generate a level of confidence amongst manufacturers and, crucially, its IT gatekeepers, which is not there at the moment. My view is that 5G offers a glimpse of how one of Industry 4.0’s biggest barriers, namely security, can be broken down. In fact, I predict that in the future, 5G will be the price of entry for Industry 4.0.