Vodafone Business and Snam have signed an agreement for the creation of a hybrid 5G private network infrastructure, integrated into the Vodafone network and therefore available throughout the national territory covered.
It’s about the first hybrid 5G Mobile Private Network in the national energy sector. The new infrastructure will provide dedicated coverage in the 23 national plants of Snam, the main European operator in the transport, storage and regasification of natural gas.
5G technology will allow a large number of devices to be connected simultaneously and will enable innovative services and solutions, thus accelerating the energy transition in Italy.
Among these, field sensors such as pressure, vibration and other meters meter capable of collecting large quantities of data locally and sending them to the control panel; anti-intrusion cameras and sensors; applications for remote diagnostics and monitoring of systems; augmented reality and virtual reality solutions for technician training and remote assistance.
Vodafone Energy Data Management
The hybrid infrastructure will improve fast 4G and 5G coverage both to the local population through the public network and to Snam staff within the factories, thanks to the creation of dedicated coverage, with the guarantee of the highest safety standards in the transmission and segregation of data.
“The 5G network infrastructure that we are announcing together with Snam highlights all the advantages of this technology: ultra-broadband, low latency, the possibility of collecting an extraordinary quantity of data and – last but not least, given the crucial importance of sector in which Snam operates – safety”he declares Alessandro Magnino, Head of Global Enterprise of Vodafone Business Italia. “We are thrilled to announce the first private 5G hybrid network in the national energy sector which is also one of Vodafone’s most extensive MPNs across Europe, with its dedicated coverage in the 23 Snam plants in the area. This project allows us to make our concrete contribution to accelerating the energy transition in Italy.”
“The solution that Vodafone offers us combines the benefits of public 5G and private 5G, guaranteeing us high levels of performance, availability and reliability, necessary to bring our advanced solutions, including drones, IoT, augmented reality, artificial intelligence, where they’re necessary”, he has declared Giorgio Veronesi, Executive Director Digital Technology and Innovation of Snam.
Innovation and safety
The network architecture that Vodafone Business is creating for Snam is engineered to guarantee high reliability in the transmission of data collected in individual plants: a resilient and secure network that allows the correct and timely management of data traffic even in the presence of critical issues. It is also characterized by an innovative configuration whereby a Vodafone MPN SIM enabled for the use of private and public data services (telephony and data) in one of the 23 sites covered by the 5G network infrastructure will work even in the presence of mobile network coverage only public Vodafone and therefore in the absence of private MPN coverage. This functionality will allow Snam to take advantage of a service extended to the entire Vodafone coverage on the national territory with the maximum degree of flexibility for its users and applications.
Sustainability and energy transition
Snam creates energy infrastructures and offers integrated services, with the mission of guiding the evolution of the energy sector through the most innovative sustainable energy network thanks to which it guarantees stable supplies to Europe and enables the energy transition. With 80 years of experience in the development and management of networks and plants, Snam guarantees the security of supplies and promotes the energy transition in the territories through investments in green gases (biomethane and hydrogen) and energy efficiency.
Vodafone Italia has brought forward its objectives of zero greenhouse gas emissions to 2025 and has already been supplying its network 100% with renewable sources since November 2020 through the purchase of energy produced from certified renewable sources for its network and also for its offices, thus positioning itself at the forefront also with respect to Vodafone’s already ambitious objectives at a global level.