Vertical: Utilities
Application: Reliable coverage for voice communications
Ecosystem: Ericsson, Thales, Sequans
Private Network: LTE
Electricity company EDF Energy has recently announced that it is ramping up its private LTE rollout at nuclear power plants across France in collaboration with Ericsson and Thales. The company, which initially planned to deploy two to four networks per year when the project was first announced in 2021, has now set a new target of deploying six private LTE networks per year.
EDF Energy’s project, named Connect, aims to bring secure cellular connectivity to all of its nuclear energy sites in France. The company has already deployed nine private LTE networks out of the planned 21 sites, which will connect workers and machines at 57 power stations. EDF Energy’s decision to accelerate the project comes after the impressive coverage and performance achieved by its new private LTE setups.
Vincent Audebert, who handles 5G and IoT in EDF Lab, the firm’s R&D department, expressed his satisfaction with the project’s progress, stating, “It is the first time in my 30 years at EDF that a telecoms project has finished ahead of deadline.” He added that due to the high interest in the project, EDF Energy has decided to accelerate the deployment, gaining two years on their original schedule.
In addition to the nuclear power plants, EDF Energy will also deploy a private LTE network at an offshore wind farm and a thermal power generation plant. The company plans to extend the project to other wind farms and thermal power plants in France as well.
EDF Energy has a 10-year license for 20 MHz of spectrum in the 2.6 GHz band at its sites in France. Ericsson is providing its 4G and 5G private network solutions to support the project, while Thales is providing its expertise in communications services to ensure seamless system integration and robust network security for the project..
The R&D team at EDF Lab is also working with Ericsson, Thales, and France-based IoT chipmaker Sequans to develop new LTE and 5G applications, such as drones and video. EDF Energy’s private LTE rollout at its nuclear power plants in France is considered the biggest deployment of its kind in the nuclear power sector.
