HFCL collaborates with Microsoft to create converged private 5G solutions

Indian telecom company HFCL has announced a collaboration with Microsoft to create converged private 5G solutions for enterprises.

The converged private 5G solutions will utilize the latest technologies of the Internet of Things (IoT), Cloud, artificial intelligence (AI), Edge Computing, and analytics to revolutionize industry sectors that include manufacturing, retail and warehouse, railways, mining, defence, education, smart city, railways, and others.

HFCL said that it is currently testing a private 5G-enabled Industry 4.0 solution as a pilot program by leveraging Microsoft Azure public MEC as well as HFCL 5G Indoor Small Cell, at its optical fiber manufacturing facility in Hyderabad.

On the fiber production line, HFCL’s 5G small cells are said to allow the detection of fiber defects in real-time by using video analysis as well as image processing.

By incorporating Azure computing and edge-optimized Azure services along with the mobile operator’s 5G network connectivity, Microsoft Azure public MEC analyzes the video data in real time to detect any flaws and provide information for analysis of root causes and preventive treatment.

With this AI-powered cloud-connected, low-latency private 5G technology, HFCL said that it is improving the manufacturing agility and operational efficiency of its fiber production facility.

HFCL collaborates with Microsoft to create converged private 5G solutions. Photo courtesy of Nuttyprofessor2016/Wikipedia.org.

Mahendra Nahata — HFCL Managing Director said: “We are very pleased with our collaboration with Microsoft in implementing Industry 4.0 solution in our own factory as a pilot program, using Microsoft Azure public MEC.

“The best practices and the lessons learnt will act as a playbook to deploy Private 5G solutions for manufacturing and other industry verticals embarking on a similar digital transformation journey.”

HFCL said that its Private 5G solutions bring together the most important components that are 5G connectivity, analytics, data collection and sensors, AI and edge, as well as cloud platforms to develop vertical and horizontal solutions that transform industries digitally. These pre-validated, pre-integrated solutions rely on alliances with telcos and other companies, best-of-breed components, and Azure public MEC to provide a high-performance, scalable, and quickly deployable solution for enterprises, said HFCL.

The Indian telecom company is also utilizing Azure to run its Rise with SAP project. In addition, HFCL has installed its Cloud Network Management System (CNMS) on Azure to give centralized management and visibility of its IO portfolio of communication services.

Samik Roy — Microsoft India Executive Director of Corporate, Medium, Small Business said: “Microsoft Azure provides seamless and rapid capabilities to roll out Industry 4.0 solutions at scale while solving critical business problems at the operator edge. HFCL can now leverage Azure compute, storage, networking, and AI capabilities for a comprehensive portfolio of private 5G use-cases across industry verticals.”