In a groundbreaking step towards accelerating Industry 4.0 and Industry 5.0 adoption in India, Ericsson, Volvo Group, and Bharti Airtel announced their research partnership to explore the potential of Extended Reality (XR) ,Digital Twin technologies and AI in the manufacturing sector. By leveraging the power of 5G and 5G Advanced, this collaboration aims to transform industrial operations, enhance workforce training, and drive real-time process optimization.
The research engagement, to be conducted at the Volvo Group Factory and Volvo Group’s R&D Centre in Bangalore, will explore futuristic Industrial Metaverse applications including Human and Machine interaction and collaboration – use cases that will blend the physical and digital worlds. Learnings from this research partnership will enable enhanced efficiency and foster innovation in the manufacturing arena , providing a digital platform for immersive training and real-time process optimization through introduction of cutting edge AI technologies .
A key pillar of this initiative is the deployment and exploration of Airtel’s 5G advanced network as the foundation for industrial XR applications. With its ultra-low latency and high-speed capabilities, 5G has the potential to enable differentiated connectivity for real-time simulations, design prototyping, and immersive training across multiple factory and industrial sites. This will allow the opportunity to experiment with new immersive concepts in the manufacturing arena , test ’what if’ scenarios and optimize production workflows without any disruption to actual operations.
Beyond operational efficiencies, the collaboration will play its part in supporting the path to Industry 4.0 and beyond while also offering opportunities to unlock new revenue streams and business models for the telcos. The insights gained through this research will help enhance network readiness for Industrial XR, paving the way for immersive communication solutions in smart factories.
Kamal Bali, President & MD, Volvo Group India commented “Our industry is undergoing a once in a lifetime transformation driven by the emerging trends across automation, connectivity and alternative energy carriers – tools which will be key in our ambitions to be Net Zero and shape a sustainable future for all. This transformation also includes the way we work and collaborate across our industrial and R&D sites. 5G, coupled with Extended Reality applications, will help foster innovation as well as collaboration between our sites and engineers, in real-time, through the power of connectivity & digitalization backed by advanced AI technologies.”
Sharat Sinha, Director & CEO – Airtel Business said, “We are thrilled to leverage the capabilities of our advanced 5G network for innovative industrial applications in partnership with Ericsson and Volvo Group. Through this collaboration, our high-speed, low latency 5G network will redefine and transform the manufacturing sector by enabling real-time XR applications for enhanced productivity and efficiencies, unlocking new revenue streams and accelerating the adoption of Industry 4.0 applications.”
Commenting on this collaboration, Nitin Bansal, Managing Director, Ericsson India says :”As India embraces Industry 4.0, 5G will be a game-changer towards enabling intelligent, connected, and immersive industrial experiences. This collaboration with Airtel and Volvo Group underscores Ericsson’s commitment to driving innovation through 5G and Extended Reality. By combining our expertise in network technology with cutting-edge XR applications, we are creating an ecosystem that will help industries to transform manufacturing. The research insights will be instrumental in shaping the future of industrial digitalization, not just in India but globally.”
As industries increasingly adopt digital transformation, this initiative will help networks support the growing demand for XR-driven innovations, aiding businesses to improve productivity and scale operations seamlessly.
