MegaFon has built a private LTE network for MMK based on Russian technologies

2022: Deployment of Private LTE based on the Proteus NTC packet core

MegaFon has deployed a Private LTE network on the territory of the Magnitogorsk Iron and Steel Works based on the package core of a domestic vendor - the Proteus Scientific and Technical Center. Technologies will optimize the operation of the enterprise and increase production efficiency. This was reported on February 10, 2023 by Megafon.

Operator provided coverage of the main industrial site by MMK installing 27 base stations with support. 4G The equipment operates in the frequency range of 900 and 2600 MHz, which guarantees a stable, high-speed safe and medium of transmission not information only for standard, but also applications for video analysts systems and/. machine vision VRAR

Illustration: rusmet.ru

MMK is a long-term partner with whom MegaFon implements digital projects and implements advanced developments. The private LTE network will become a reliable base that will allow the company to improve various production processes. This infrastructure project - where the company used the equipment of a domestic vendor. This solution is more flexible, which will allow, if necessary, to quickly make changes and additions to the system, taking into account the wishes of the client, Natalia Taldykina, Director of Corporate Business Development at MegaFon.

Access to the corporate network, the design capacity of which is up to ten thousand devices, is carried out without VPN when using the MMK SIM card. Within the network, mechanisms are implemented for seamless switching of users when moving around the enterprise.

Also, the NB-IoT protocol has been launched in the private LTE network, which allows you to quickly receive information from industrial facilities. NB-IoT sensors can operate at temperatures from + 60 to - 60˚S, monitoring hundreds of indicators, from temperature, humidity, pressure, vibration and noise levels to data on the location of personnel and equipment both indoors and abroad.

The deployment of the corporate network will help MMK in the digitalization of production processes and reduce the cost of introducing innovative solutions. On the basis of Private LTE, the company has already launched a project for an automated system for checking and certification of metal products in the warehouses of sheet rolling shop No. 4 from IT devices: specialists have developed a mobile application that reads and compares barcodes on marking labels of metal products. As part of the project, the Private LTE network replaced Wi-Fi communication, providing a significant reduction in costs, told in the management of information and public Magnitogorsk metallurgical relations of the plant.

Thanks to a private network, it was possible to quickly test the possibility of implementing the digital project "Development of a tracking system for iron-iron buckets." It will monitor the mass of cast iron at the blast furnace outlet, keep records of the distribution of cast iron to consumers and monitor the condition of iron carriers.

In addition, the Private LTE network will be used as a data transfer environment in the design of the digital warehouse of the agloshicht preparation workshop, as well as in the warehouse management system (WMS) in the production preparation department of MMK.

2021: Plan for a private LTE network

On December 14, 2021, MegaFon announced the creation of a private LTE network at the production sites of the Magnitogorsk Metallurgical Plant (MMK). The companies entered into an agreement on cooperation in the field of technology development. The Private LTE network will create a secure and stable data transfer environment for the digitalization of the plant, including the introduction of industrial Internet of Things (IoT) technologies, video analytics services and positioning systems for production facilities.

By 2022, MegaFon will deploy a network of more than 11 thousand hectares, more than half of which is occupied by production facilities. More than 20 Indoor base stations will be built for a stable signal within an extensive group of workshops, and six telecom facilities will operate on the open territory of the plant. MegaFon will install equipment that will provide a seamless transition to 5G technology in the future.

Base stations will operate in the 900 and 2600 MHz bands. The lower one will ensure the best penetration of the communication signal into the production shops, where MMK plans to introduce services based on the Internet of Things for uninterrupted operation of technological processes. The upper range guarantees the highest data rates.

In addition to the high speed and maximum security of the transmitted data, noise immunity was extremely important for us, which is simply necessary in the working conditions in the workshops of the plant, "said Vadim Feoktistov MMK, chief information technology specialist. - Construction a dedicated network will solve these problems and open up additional opportunities in terms of operational deployment of data transmission infrastructure for the needs of digitalization projects. For example, it is planned to use Private LTE services to introduce "smart" warehouses based on, Oracle WMS which is being implemented for December 2021. The use of this technology in this project will save about 50 million rubles on the deployment of an expensive Wi-Fi network on an open area.

Over the years of cooperation, MegaFon has launched more than 100 base stations in Magnitogorsk, and we have joint experience in introducing digital solutions in the production chain for warehousing and transporting raw materials. The construction of the Private LTE network is the next stage of our cooperation, which will help MMK in digitalizing the most complex technological processes, will improve production efficiency and safety, "commented Natalya Taldykina, Director of Corporate Business Development at MegaFon.

This five-year agreement involves comprehensive cooperation in the development of the Internet of things and digitalization of the enterprise, as well as improving the telecom infrastructure in Magnitogorsk.