MVP solution for Iskratel’s 4G / 5G partner ecosystem

Challenge

Iskratel offers a new solution to the market – private 5G core networks, with which companies can establish completely private or hybrid (RAN sharing) broadband 3GPP networks with low latencies, high performance and locally controlled and secure connectivity, which is required in special applications. Businesses, industries, and public safety organizations require networks that are logically separate from those typically used by mobile operators for residential use. They require local traffic and subscriber management, localized control and IT-friendly management interfaces that can be used by professionals even without prior knowledge of 4G or 5G systems.

They set up also a partner ecosystem in which they invited ICT companies with advanced technological solutions in the field of digitalization to test and refine their solutions using Iskratel’s state-of-the-art communication solutions.

The solution

In 3 PORT, we responded to Iskratel’s invitation with our generic solution for real-time production process control – SMIPeR. With it, we provide an environment for the strategic implementation of Industry 4.0 solutions and the gradual digitization of processes with fast and high added value.

At Iskratel, two machines were selected in one of the production lines, which we then connected locally to our IoT gateway – SMIP Agent. The role of the gateway is primarily to enable a secure (encrypted) and reliable connection to the cloud and to prevent data buffering. In a given case, we were also able to take advantage of the Agent’s capabilities related to edge computing, as large amounts of data generated in the production process are already purified and filtered on site, thus greatly reducing the amount of data sent to the cloud.

The LTE connection between the Agent and the private base station proved to be a great advantage, as there was no need to run cables around the production hall. The intervention of installing the Agent in the electrical cabinet next to the machine and the antenna for receiving the LTE signal outside the cabinet was carried out in a good hour and was hardly noticeable for the daily production routine. LTE communication has proven to be extremely reliable, as it is a proven technology with decades of proven performance even at very high loads. Compared to other wireless technologies, which we have already encountered in 3 PORT in production processes (WiFi, BT) and which are also increasingly penetrating the world of industry, we can talk about LTE connectivity only with selected words.

Using the standard building blocks of the IoT platform – SMIP, we also prepared a control panel for monitoring the status of connected machines and data storage.

Results

The minimum viable product (MVP) solution was set up in a really very short time. We can say that we spent much more time on arranging and coordinating deadlines than we spent on the implementation itself.

MVP is a version of the product that allows the entrepreneur to establish a feedback loop of information with a minimum amount of effort, resources and development time. It is an immediate test of value supply, and nowhere in the definition of MVP is it said how much of this value must actually be provided by technology. The minimally viable product is without many functionalities that later prove to be important, but on the other hand it is significantly more than a prototype that is admired only by engineers and other employees in the company. The concept of a MVP speaks above all about the fact that we can place the product in front of customers and measure their reactions.

The standard building blocks of the SMIP platform have allowed us to quickly prepare a remote control panel based on a generic SMIPeR solution. The control panel displays the statuses of connected machines and allows you to view and analyze their operation over a long period of time (by hours, days, weeks or months). As this project was only about the implementation of the MVP pilot, we left most of the functionality of the flexible generic solution SMIPeR in agreement with Iskratel unused (for example informing key actors with warnings and alarms, generating periodic reports for supervisors and management, calculating key indicators actions, etc.).