Deutsche Telekom is launching two new mobile communications-based products for industry in 2020. Following successful pilot projects at Osram, ZF Friedrichshafen and BorgWarner (Hungary), product variants for key accounts and SMEs will be available next year. Customers will then be able to choose between the Campus M and Campus L variants.

Campus network "M" for medium-sized businesses

Setting up and operating dedicated networks is costly. This is why Deutsche Telekom is developing the Campus M product especially for German SMEs. The company premises are supplied via the public network. It is important to guarantee mobile network coverage right into every corner of the company premises. If necessary, this is to be ensured by extra antennas on the premises and in the buildings. The data is sent to the processing computer(s) logically separated from the public network. Similar to the fixed network, the company then uses a virtual private network (VPN). Campus M can be adapted to different customer requirements using agreed quality-of-service components. For example, prioritization of private data traffic in overload situations ensures a smooth production process.

Campus network L

The Campus L variant includes its own private mobile network with guaranteed network resources on the company premises. This solution is primarily aimed at major customers. It not only includes the installation of a mobile phone antenna. The customer also receives their own server on the company premises, which provides the backend for the private network infrastructure. In this way, the data does not leave the campus.

With both campus network solutions, the mobile radio antennas provide the company premises with a private network. At the same time, they also make the public mobile network available on campus with the same signal strength. This resource is available, for example, to employees or service providers on the company premises who do not have access to the private network. The coverage of the campus is adapted to customer requirements and planned together with the customer. This should ensure that production workflows and processes are supported without any problems.

Data processing through "Edge in the Box"

Some business-critical applications require real-time responses. Telekom will also offer a product for edge computing for this purpose: the edge compute platform. The combination of mobile network and edge computing ensures network response times of less than 10 ms - even in the 4G network. "With the 'Edge in the box', we offer the perfect extension to the campus networks," emphasizes Deutsche Telekom Board Member and T-Systems CEO Adel Al-Saleh. Deutsche Telekom is currently testing a prototype together with partners. The test is running in the 5G factory in the "Center Connected Industry" on the RWTH Aachen campus. Commercial use of the edge compute platform is set to begin in 2020.

Edge Cloud from the network

Telekom is also setting up four edge cloud data centers for the mobile network. In future, Telekom will also offer these resources for both Campus L and Campus M. With the Campus L product, the Edge Cloud is the back-up for the local edge platform. This ensures the operation of edge applications even in the event of a local outage. With the new data centers, Campus M customers can also operate latency-critical applications. This means they do not need a special data center on their own premises. Telekom offers them a managed service as an additional option. SMEs thus benefit from additional services without having to invest in their own infrastructure.