Proof, or at least an indication, that the growing market for private networks in Industry 4.0 is as much about local knowledge and boots as global corporate reach. Future Technologies, a US-based systems integrator, has just released a press release about receiving $14 million in orders from the nation's energy sector in 2023; and more to come on his big-ticket wins in the coming weeks, it said.
The company, founded in Atlanta, Georgia as a satellite integrator in 1999 and focused on private mobile communications for 15 years, recently appeared RCR wireless webinar on the state of private networks in 2024, and it will appear again in a companion report later in the month. In 2023, its contract revenues in the broad US energy market come from a combination of private 4G/5G sales, plus fixed broadband and mobile wide area network (WAN) solutions.
Fixed broadband sales include microwave and point-to-multipoint technologies; The WAN business is for mobile IoT sensor solutions, moving into non-mobile LoRaWAN as well. Most of the category winners were in the chemical, oil and gas and renewable energy sectors, it said. Future Technologies, a close ally of Nokia in the private 4G/5G market, has listed Cambium Networks, Semtech/Sierra Wireless, plus Intel and Microsoft as key suppliers.
The statement says: “Upstream and midstream energy operators face inherent challenges when it comes to operating in harsh, remote geographic environments. These often pose challenges, including limited connectivity, extreme weather conditions and vast distances. Private mobile, fixed broadband and public/private mobile WAN solutions can address these issues, providing a reliable and secure infrastructure tailored to specific (industry) needs.”
It explained its offering in each subsector of the energy market (“digital oilfield,” “chemical facilities,” and “renewables”) without actually naming any of its customers. With private 4G/5G as the key driver of the company's sales growth in 2023, it explained how edge mobile connectivity “augments” and “complements” public 4G/5G and enterprise Wi-Fi in each case to create : hybrid enterprise infrastructure to spring for operational efficiency.
Oilfield's explanation says it uses Nokia's DAC and MPW private network systems (3.55-3.7 GHz) to complement fixed wireless broadband (3 GHz to 60 GHz) from Cambium Networks: to extend fiber optic transport networks to vertical assets. , such as towers and buildings; Mobile WAN equipment from Sierra Wireless is deployed to connect to both public and private networks to “provide data-protected network connections to these critical assets,” according to the release.
In chemical plants, it uses the same Nokia systems to “cover 100 percent” of outdoor production environments; In renewables, it said it is tackling “carbon sequestration initiatives” with private 4G/5G (“for coverage”) and fixed broadband (“transportation and fixed wireless”) use cases. It assumed that computer vision was primarily a fixed wireless use case.
“These hybrid network solutions provide the best all-in-one solution for customers… ensuring they have the right network layer for each use case and, in some cases, the network flexibility of having both a primary and backup network approach in each case. the use case. This approach allows each problem to be solved with the right technology versus a single technology approach driving the result.”
Future Technologies also deployed private 5G solutions in good volume in the US defense sector in 2023. The company said in January it had secured “several million dollars” in private 5G wins among Fortune 100 and 500 industrial companies, many in the manufacturing space, and a $150 million pipeline of new private 5G sales. Future Technologies also works with AWS, Ciena, Cisco, Dell, Ericsson, HPE and Juniper (HPE; forthcoming), according to its website.
Peter Cappiello, CEO of Future Technologies, said: “Future technologies have experienced significant growth in the energy sector… We have accepted major awards in 2023 and are charging with an even more significant pipeline in 2024. Our team has years of domain expertise in these markets, which is critical when addressing requirements such as the connected worker, digital workflow, industrial automation and the digital twin.”
He added: “Our focus in this market is driven by our team of industry leaders, partnering with best-in-class technology solutions providers including Intel, Nokia, Cambium Networks, Semtech and Microsoft. Through this hybrid network transformation approach, we can help customers extend the functionality of their existing network assets while covering new networks, providing coverage and connectivity for advanced use cases.”