Equinor powers global collaboration with 5G-ready private LTE network

Equinor, one of the world’s leading producers of oil, gas and wind power, has entered into a frame agreement with Nokia, in partnership with systems integrator NetNordic, to install a private 4G and 5G-ready network.

Equinor describes itself as a broad energy company and the largest operator in Norway. It has 21,000 employees engaged in developing oil, gas, wind and solar energy in more than 30 countries worldwide. It adds that it is an international offshore operator and a growing force in renewables, shaping the future of energy and focused on delivering that energy in the most reliable and sustainable ways possible.

The industrial-grade private wireless technology to be supplied in the eight-year agreement is said to deliver the required reliability, capacity, security and low latency in the networks of its international operations using private 4G and 5G-ready networking, as well as edge computing to support various applications, including drone networks.

It will include hardware, software, design, radio planning, implementation and support. Under the agreement, the private LTE network will be installed this summer at Dudgeon and Sheringham Shoal windfarms, located in the UK and both operated by Equinor.

“Working with Nokia, we are able to deliver the secure, smart, offshore wireless digital fabric that Equinor can use to support its communication and maintenance activities and safety objectives,” said NetNordic Group CEO Jarl Øverby. “This includes the flexibility to employ a wide range of integrated applications, including Nokia DAC teams comms and Nokia Drone Networks, and the capability to deploy them to the edge. This is a secure and resilient solution that will easily scale and evolve to 5G to meet their future needs.”

Nokia DAC comprises the Nokia 4.9G LTE and 5G Radio Access Network technology and Nokia Industrial devices. It also includes a range of access points both for indoor and outdoor coverage, and an edge solution with packet core and application framework for edge computing.

Just before it announced the win with Equinor, Nokia revealed that it had been been selected by DITO Telecommunity Corporation (DITO) to deploy 5G services on the island of Mindanao in the Philippines. The deployment will enable DITO to complete its ambitious strategy of building a high-quality 5G network throughout the country, which was formally launched in May 2021.

With this deal, Nokia is helping DITO to deliver 5G services to its customers with superior speeds, capacity and lower latencies, while reducing complexity and driving down costs through increased energy efficiencies. To achieve the desired network performance, Nokia is providing equipment from its massive MIMO, multi-band, Single RAN AirScale portfolio to build the RAN for the 5G infrastructure across Mindanao, the Philippines’ second-largest island.