ACOME and its partner ALSATIS, winners of the Government's France Recovery Plan

This “PCN 5G Lab for Industry” project to deploy an innovative, sovereign, open, secure and low-carbon 5G private mobile network solution won the “AAP Plan de relance pour l’industrie – secteurs stratégiques” call for proposals as part of the France Recovery plan.

This project is supported by the Ministry of the Economy, Finance and Recovery and is part of the Investments for the Future Programme (PIA), having received a grant of €1.0018 million.The French group ACOME – a manufacturer of high-tech cables and components for telecoms and the automotive industry - is supporting the “Lab PCN 5G” project. It is doing this in partnership with the French operator ALSATIS, which is setting up the 5G network, ensuring equipment and core network compatibility and integrating the various technical solutions into the company's information system.

• The Government’s 5G Acceleration Strategy

In the industrial sector, 5G is a pillar of Industry 4.0. With large scale real-time data collection and low latency, 5G opens up new opportunities for future industry.

It will improve production processes and the performance, reliability and productivity of industrial sites; increase competitiveness; and open the way for predictive maintenance and practices that will improve workplace safety.

Through its call for proposals, the French government wishes to speed up 5G’s implementation and support companies that innovate and invest in France to master these new technologies and their adoption and build a sovereign and secure 5G network.

• Concept and objectives of this full-scale 5G platform implemented under real conditions and dedicated to Industry 4.0’s new practices

Certified by the “Digital Infrastructure” Sector Strategy Committee (or CSF), this project deploys a full-scale 5G private mobile network under real conditions on an industrial campus. It aims to assess the value of this technology for innovative indoor and outdoor uses in an environment offering 5G connectivity. It also aims to draw learning that will support future developments.

Extending over 46 hectares of the ACOME manufacturing site in Romagny (Normandy), which includes outdoor spaces, 12 hectares of indoor space and confined areas, the 5G network’s global coverage must guarantee more environmentally friendly usage. This is monitored through specific indicators measuring carbon emissions and the radiation levels of active equipment.

The aim of this new 5G experimentation platform is to process and evaluate several use cases such as predictive maintenance, augmented technicians, AGV/AIV (automated guided vehicle/autonomous intelligent vehicle) security, drones, smart vision equipment and production line supervision with cameras, in order to meet Industry 4.0’s current and future challenges. ACOME and ALSATIS’ ambition is to market a complete solution for fifth-generation private mobile networks from 2024 for the industry sector.

Some of the experiment’s results are also intended to be shared with businesses and public authorities, in particular information relating to the solution’s carbon footprint and the approach used to ensure the safety of the site's 1,000 employees. An academic partnership with a research laboratory is also being implemented to guarantee the approach and results’ independence.

• Development of an open platform and ecosystem with 5G connectivity

The project includes the installation of an open 5G laboratory within the platform. It will host companies and start-ups as they test innovative 5G use cases in an industrial environment using the ALSATIS 2.6Ghz licence, and also stimulate innovation.

Although the cost of sovereign private 5G solutions is not yet well understood, the platform also aims to identify viable economic models for private French 5G mobile networks in an industrial setting.

• Jacques de Heere, Chairman-Chief Executive Officer of the ACOME Group

‘’As a leading industrial telecoms operator, ACOME has access to modern manufacturing resources. The deployment of a 5G mobile network at our multi-plant industrial site in Normandy will give us a unique opportunity to test several use cases in real conditions; to assess the benefits and potential of 5G in terms of productivity, safety and innovation; and to measure its environmental and health impact. This 5G experimentation platform will significantly accelerate innovation, promoting 5G’s development and best uses in the industry sector.”

• Antoine Roussel, Managing Director of ALSATIS

‘’As a long-standing operator in at a region level, ALSATIS' expertise and skills make it essential to the extended 5G ecosystem. In its role as a specialist in implementing outstanding dedicated, sovereign and secure infrastructure solutions that meet the needs of our regions and economy, ALSATIS is delighted with this strategic collaboration with Acome, which will allow us to meet Industry 4.0’s new challenges and, in so doing, help to strengthen our economy.”

• Michel Combot, CEO, FRENCH TELECOMS FEDERATION (FFT), Permanent representative of the “Digital infrastructures” CSF

           ’The “Digital Infrastructure” Sector Strategy Committee (CSF) welcomes the fact that the “PCN 5G Lab for Industry” project has been awarded the “AAP Recovery Plan for Industry – Strategic Sectors” call for proposals as part of the France Recovery plan. This project will make it possible to prepare for the new implementation of 5G networks and their subsequent versions in order to improve French expertise in this area and support industry, so that we can identify infrastructure needs and establish new partnerships. In addition to the technological aspects, this experiment will be particularly attentive to social and environmental responsibility (in terms of reducing the solution's carbon footprint, setting out an exemplary approach to health and safety, and so on), which is a crucial aspect of our sector’s work. Our Committee is pleased that this project is taking part in the network for multi-site and multi-stakeholder 5G experimentation platforms in our sector. This network is focused on technological innovation and is connected to future vertical markets, in a cross-cutting approach that includes all stakeholders, namely telecom operators, equipment manufacturers, SMEs/VSEs, start-ups, industrial players, competitiveness clusters and research institutes. The “PCN 5G Lab for Industry” project will make a decisive contribution to this.”