MWC Barcelona: What connections will you make in 2023?

As Mobile World Congress Barcelona fast approaches, we anticipate a productive and energizing event. More specifically, we look forward to great discussions on monetizing 5G networks. That includes opportunities for telecommunications service providers to use Cisco solutions to better support their industrial customers.

Many industrial operations consist of numerous systems highly distributed over a site, region, or country. Think of renewable energy production such as solar and wind farms, electric-vehicle charging stations, power substations, roadways equipment, and pipelines. In most cases, wireless cellular networks are probably the most convenient way to provide the wide coverage needed to connect these operational technology (OT) assets.

Enhancing reliable and secure connectivity at the industrial edge is key to automating industrial processes even further, driving efficiency and improving both environmental sustainability and customer satisfaction. Yet within many industrial organizations, operations teams are stretched thin. Few have the depth and breadth of expertise needed to manage large numbers of endpoint devices across a highly distributed network.

Telecommunications service providers can help to build and maintain secure industrial networks at scale. The Cisco 4G/5G industrial routers, such as the Catalyst IR1101 Rugged Router, are packaged with automated device provisioning and cellular broadband services. They are a winning solution for service providers in simplifying deployment and growing their footprints with industrial customers.

At Cisco Live Europe in Amsterdam earlier this month, we unveiled several innovations to further simplify IT for managing and securing industrial networks at scale. At Mobile World Congress (MWC) in Barcelona next week, we’ll build on the Cisco Live announcement and add new wireless innovations to the Cisco Industrial Networking portfolio. Here’s a preview of what we will be showcasing:

• Catalyst IR1101 and IR1800 Rugged Series Routers: These compact and highly modular rugged industrial routers are designed for connecting fixed or mobile assets. They make use of pluggable interface modules to support a variety of backhaul technologies: Ethernet, xDSL, and many different 2G, 3G, 4G, and 5G radio bands and categories. These modules can be easily swapped in the field to adapt to changes and avoid costly rip-and-replace upgrades, especially as 2G and 3G services are being sunset. At MWC in Barcelona, we’ll introduce new modules to enable even more use cases. Stay tuned for more!
• Catalyst IW9165E Rugged Access Point and IW9165D Heavy Duty Access Point: These new Wi-Fi 6/6E-ready rugged access points are designed to extend your industrial network to new places and connect more devices when fiber is not available or cellular networks might not be the best option. Both use Cisco Ultra Reliable Wireless Backhaul to deliver highly reliable, ultra-low latency, broadband wireless connectivity, making it simple to connect moving industrial assets such as robots or automated guided vehicles.
• IoT Operations Dashboard, now with Cisco Cyber Vision: Cisco IoT Operations Dashboard is a cloud platform designed to empower operations teams to deploy and run industrial networks at scale. We’ve enhanced it with Cyber Vision to provide detailed visibility into connected assets and automatic identification of vulnerabilities. IT and OT teams can now better manage resources, understand how to limit their exposure to cyberthreats, and drive cybersecurity best practices.
• Secure Equipment Access: Gaining remote access to industrial assets is key to running operations and reducing the need for expensive truck rolls. We’ve taken the Secure Equipment Access service of Cisco IoT Operations Dashboard to new heights so that experts can gain remote access to more types of OT devices and security teams can better control access.

We’ve designed all our IoT solutions to address the challenges of managing hundreds, thousands, or even tens of thousands of remote sites. Simplicity, flexibility, reliability, and security are the hallmarks of our approach—which telecommunications services providers can use to help grow and expand their reach in industrial enterprises.

Visit Cisco in Hall 3 at MWC in Barcelona from February 27 to March 2 to learn more about our solutions and innovations. We look forward to connecting with you.

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