How Cellular Connectivity is Driving the Revolution in Industry 4.0?

Industry 4.0 is a revolution that uses an amalgam of various technologies, big data, artificial intelligence, and more. It is driving the industry towards building factories that are fully automated with flexible operations that can be remotely controlled. This cannot be made possible without a very advanced and fast-speed cellular network. Businesses have no choice but to adapt and stay in sync with the latest technological advancements if they want to have a competitive edge.

Limitations of Hard-Wired Connections

The future of cellular connectivity is 5G as opposed to the 4G networks currently being used. People are actively working on implementing the 5G networks across the globe and some of the Internet services like Spectrum Internet plans are an excellent example. However, the progress is slow because the 5G network requires large-scale infrastructural changes which is no easy task. It will take time and a lot of money to make such hefty changes, and most governments don’t find that appealing. This is the reason why businesses still employ wired-connections to run their operations.

Although a wired-connection is speedy and reliable to a great extent, it is not as effective. The biggest drawback of a wired-connection is the wiring. It is difficult to manage so many wires in a crowded place. A single mishap of an accidentally disconnected cord can disrupt an entire operation. Another huge limitation is the lack of flexibility. For instance, if a business had to move its operations, it would cost them a lot of time and money to shift their wired connections.

In the era of the Internet of Things, a wireless network allows smooth operations as a single network can be used to control a wide range of processes while having the flexibility of doing that from anywhere.

What Does Industry 4.0 Actually Mean?

In very simple words, industry 4.0 is leading businesses into a new age where production and manufacturing will be digitally controlled (remotely). But, many factories are already using digital manufacturing machinery. So, how will it improve further?

Industry 4.0 will combine big data, artificial intelligence, IoT using the latest (5G) cellular connection, and run better-informed operations. It will allow businesses to predict future problems and create solutions for them before they even happen. Industry 3.0 brought the incorporation of computers and automated machinery in businesses. Whereas, Industry 4.0 is taking it one step further by introducing machine learning and data-driven processes in the businesses to make them sustainable.

Role of Cellular Connectivity

The 5G network will allow almost every gadget to connect seamlessly on a single network including all cellular devices, computers, cameras, sensors, operational machines, and so on. This cutting-edge technology is expected to provide:

• much higher speeds (in Gbps instead of the current Mbps),
• next to zero latency,
• better reliability,
• increased area coverage, and more.

It is expected to empower industries in controlling several operations via the same network. The 5G technology would help create a digital framework that would enhance automation in industries with higher productivity. For example, manufacturers would be able to reduce lead times and better control the quick changeover of their production lines. Thus, creating smarter factories.

From the Internet of Things (IoT) to the Internet of Everything (IoE)

The technology of the 5G network is not limited to enhanced speeds. In fact, a huge aspect of this tech is a significant upgrade in the network’s bandwidth. The bandwidth of a network determines its coverage range and number of devices that can connect to it. Since the 5G network can support more IoT devices in any given area, the manufacturing businesses can use it to implement the Internet of Things technology on a wider scale.

Not only that, using this revolutionary technology, the Internet of Things (IoT) can be transformed into the Internet of Everything (IoE). The concept of IoE has the potential to take everything online. Visualize a smart factory where all processes including, machines, utilities, products, and functions can virtually communicate on one network effortlessly. The IoE would allow businesses to use data to make predictions of potential errors and come up with ways to prevent or fix them.

Introducing Maintenance that is Predictive

The advancement in cellular connectivity is expected to allow businesses to carry out predictions regarding maintenance issues. It means that companies would combine the existing IoT with the upcoming 5G network to predict the if, when, where, and how, any machinery could experience a breakdown or any other issue. This valuable insight will enable them to create solutions for problems before they actually happen. For instance, using this network, I dial Spectrum phone number and the representatives of Charter Spectrum customer service would be able to solve customer issues in no time.

This advanced network will allow the generation of better maintenance schedules on virtually every machine in a factory. That would become possible because it would carry out the analysis of big data at a faster speed.