Volkswagen Adopts Nokia’s Private 5G Network for Real‑Time Factory Connectivity

Volkswagen has deployed a private 5G network at its largest plant in Wolfsburg, Germany, to power next‑generation connected technologies.

The pilot uses Nokia’s industrial‑grade private 5G interface, pWireless, providing real‑time connectivity for IoT sensors, connected vehicles, and factory machinery.

With dedicated 5G bandwidth, the plant can upload IoT data directly to vehicles as they leave the assembly line, while enabling intelligent networking of production robots and wireless assembly tools.

Stephane Daeuble, Nokia’s head of enterprise solutions marketing, noted that car manufacturing is a key driver for the growth of private 5G, citing the need for low‑latency IoT use cases: “Unless we can provide 5G technology today, they will not be able to build a factory based on 5G.”

Volkswagen is not alone. Germany’s federal network agency had awarded more than 120 private 5G licences by June 2021, several of which went to automotive leaders such as Audi, BMW, Daimler, Mercedes‑Benz and Porsche.

“With this pilot deployment, we are exploring the possibilities 5G has to offer and are building our expertise in operating and using 5G in an industrial context,” said Klaus‑Dieter Tuchs, a network planning engineer at Volkswagen.

Other German companies have also secured private 5G licences, including Verizon’s German subsidiary, electronics specialist Rohde & Schwarz, industrial engineering conglomerate Thyssenkrupp, and research institute Fraunhofer Institut für Integrierte Schaltungen IIS.