Huawei eyes Brazil’s industries for 5G connectivity

Chinese network provider Huawei aims to intensify digitization and automation of operational processes in Brazil’s heavy industries.

The company wants to reach up to 22 sectors, the director of integrated solutions at Huawei in Brazil, Carlos Roseiro (pictured), told BNamericas.

One of Huawei's first agreements to deploy 5G in industries made public in the region was with Sul Americana de Metais (SAM), the Brazilian subsidiary of Chinese group Honbridge Holdings.

Announced last week, the MOU covers 5G-driven development of unmanned mining technology for the US$2.1bn Block 8 iron ore complex still to be set up by SAM in Minas Gerais state.

However, like other such projects, this one still depends on the network connection and available 5G spectrum. Roseiro said Huawei's technology is open and that it is up to the mining company to decide which operator network to use.

Likewise, it is still necessary to define if a private network – where the operator installs towers on-site – will be used, or cellular antennas available around the mine. The latter is unlikely in this case though, due to the critical connectivity a mine will demand.

In Brazil, Telefónica is deploying a private 4G network at Vale's sites to have 36 trucks operating autonomously by year-end. In this case, Huawei's rival Nokia is the network equipment provider.

4G networks, however, have higher latency (response time) than 5G ones.

According to Roseiro, the project with mining company SAM is a long-term one. 

The idea is that Block 8 becomes the template of a digital mine, starting with trucks transporting ores autonomously and excavators with remotely guided arms. "It has to be with 5G. The operator, who is hundreds of meters away from the excavator, has to move the joystick and the arms move almost instantly, without delay."

In addition to SAM, Huawei is in talks with different companies and sectors, but Roseiro declined to provide details. There is still no other closed project for 5G-connected industries. "We are both reaching out and being reached out to by the market," the executive said.

According to Roseiro, the development of an ecosystem that supports the processes, particularly edge computing and process virtualization solutions, will be essential for the performance of 5G networks, including those aimed at industry 4.0.

A factory going through a digital transformation process, for example, must rely on a local server, hire a data storage and processing service in the cloud, and implement processes using IoT artificial intelligence.

SECURITY CONTROVERSY

Asked if potential industrial customers have expressed any reservations about the security of the company's technology, which has been the object of a boycott campaign by the US and is at risk of being vetoed by Brazil, Roseiro responded that “executives involved in the technology area know how these things work.”

He enphasized that Huawei is not in charge of the network but its equipment, which has to follow the standards for 5G and other frequencies defined by international bodies such as 3GPP.

Roseiro also points out that all Huawei equipment sold in the country is first homologated and licensed by regulator Anatel.

"The best feedback for this comes in the response of our customers about our technology and the number of contracts we are closing worldwide," said the executive.

Picture source: LinkedIn