EDF boosts non-public LTE at French nuclear crops with Ericsson, Thales

Electrical energy firm EDF has accelerated its non-public LTE rollout at nuclear energy crops in France with Ericsson and Thales. The agency, which initially scheduled two-to-four networks per yr when the challenge was introduced in 2021, informed Non-public Networks International Discussion board this week that it has up to now deployed 9 non-public LTE networks, and has a brand new goal of six per yr. It needs 21 non-public LTE networks at 21 nuclear websites, to attach staff and machines at 57 energy stations. 

The corporate has been impressed by its work with Ericsson and Thales, and the protection and efficiency achieved by its new non-public LTE setups, and has resolved to go sooner with the challenge in France, it informed the occasion on Tuesday (Could 28). EDF (Électricité de France) mentioned it had one other non-public LTE deployment at an offshore wind farm, and a model new non-public LTE pilot, with scope for a non-public 5G improve, at a thermal / gasoline energy technology plant, as properly. 

Vincent Audebert, dealing with 5G and IoT in EDF Lab, the agency’s R&D division, mentioned: “It’s the first time in my 30-years at EDF {that a} telecoms challenge has completed forward of deadline. As a result of there’s such curiosity on this challenge, [and] EDF has determined to speed up the deployment. So we’re going to achieve two years on our schedule – [and move to a schedule of] six networks… per yr. We have already got 9 networks – out of 21 websites with 57 reactors. [The plan is] we may have 21 [private] networks.” 

EDF’s LTE rollout, which began in 2021 on the Blayais energy plant in southwest France, goes beneath the title CONNECT, and is taken into account the largest deployment of its sort within the nuclear energy sector. At Non-public Networks International Discussion board, hosted by RCR Wi-fi, Audebert mentioned EDF will set up non-public LTE at different wind farms and thermal energy crops in France, as properly. “We plan to increase it to different… crops,” he mentioned. EDF has eight energy crops within the UK, additionally.

The corporate has a 10-year licence for 20 MHz of spectrum within the 2.6 GHz TDD band (band #38, 2570-2620 MHz) at its websites in France, as supplied to metropolitan companies by regulator ARCEP; it additionally has a cope with the French Ministry of Inside for 2 three-megahertz tranches of 700 MHz spectrum, formally prescribed for public safety and catastrophe reduction (PPDR). “With that we’re ready to deal with our jobs that we have to do on a day-to-day foundation within the nuclear energy plant,” mentioned Audebert.

To an extent, upgrade-rollout of personal 5G hinges on ARCEP making out there spectrum at 3.9-4.0 GHz to enterprises in France. The R&D crew at EDF Lab holds an experimental licence to develop 5G use circumstances within the 3.9-4.0 GHz band; Audebert mentioned the R&D crew is working with Ericsson, Thales, and France-based IoT chipmaker Sequans to develop new LTE and 5G functions (“drones, video, AR; something like this”). “The output of the challenge shall be delivered inside two years,” he mentioned. 

He famous EDF’s curiosity within the 450 MHz band as properly, which is topic to a parallel work stream inside ARCEP. 

Particularly, Audebert mentioned EDF’s non-public LTE networks are being managed and maintained by the corporate itself. He commented: “[Ericsson and Thales] present us with an answer that is ready to be provisioned, after which it’s constructed by EDF. Even when the mixing is completed by our companions, it is vitally essential for us to… handle what’s on our web site.” He famous the problem to seek out expert workers, nonetheless. 

“What I might say is [most] advanced is to seek out expert individuals. As a result of [for a nuclear plant] it’s not your regular area of experience. However we’ve [found] individuals… to make sure that we’re in a position to work with [cellular[ by ourselves. So EDF is doing the day-to-day work [so] every thing runs easily – for… capabilities, safety. We depend on Ericsson and Thales for help… however we’re actually driving the system.”

The opposite takeaway from the dialogue at Non-public Networks International Discussion board is that EDF is concentrated totally on LTE due to spectrum availability, but in addition as a result of it delivers for its functions, presently, that are typically targeted on dependable and intensive protection for straight employee connectivity. “The very first thing, and it might be primary, is we’d like voice communication,” mentioned Audebert.

He went on: “You may add [mission-critical and video] on PTT… [and also] share photos… which is essential [for remote access to] experience… [The success of these applications] is why the challenge has been sped up. There’s such curiosity to… digitalize [worker processes] with functions on smartphones… In a nuclear energy plant, you don’t have a public community so it is vitally essential to have… very, very dependable [connectivity] that may attain all components of the ability plant.” 

Present R&D work at EDF is concentrated on “extra functions on 4G”, he defined – as per the collaboration with Ericsson, Thales, and Sequans. There was much less mentioned about community efficiency, besides to notice that EDF has its personal non-public on-site and native edge knowledge centres, which dictate latency of functions, and even much less on service degree agreements (“confidential”). However Audebert opened proceedings with a word about EDF’s want for nearer collaboration with public community operators as properly.

He mentioned: “I do know we’re in a non-public networks occasion, however as a giant utility it is necessary for us to have the ability to work with operator networks as properly… Which is why we’re pushing rather a lot working with 3GPP to have higher coordination between the distribution system operators for the grid and cell community operators for the telecoms.”

He summed up: “It was tough to [make] this alternative… – to say, okay, we’re going to maneuver to this new [critical communications] expertise. It was a really modern transfer by EDF… [and] it modified the way in which the processes are carried out in nuclear energy crops. So it was crucial… And it confirmed [how it was possible for] an industrial firm to construct a non-public community. No one else was constructing non-public networks; now you’ve got a number of affords, lots of corporations… It’s good to see that we have been on the forefront.”