SNCF paves the way for industrial 5G in France with Institut Mines-Télécom

Building on the success of the first 5G test platform in Rennes Station since 2019, SNCF and its partners – Orange, Nokia and the Institut Mines-Telecom (IMT) – are announcing, alongside the Secretary of State Cédric O, a “5G Living Lab” devoted to industrial practices. Located in two Technicentres in Rennes, these platforms will extend the 5G tests in Rennes Station to support the modernization of the SNCF group’s industrial entities and fast-track their transition to an ultra-high-speed wireless network.

Open and ReLIABLE platforms

These test platforms, the “5G Living Labs”, have been designed to be open to third parties to enrich the use cases and benefit from initiatives in the local digital ecosystems, notably those in Brittany.

As part of this ambitious partnership, Orange will provide the telecom network services, and the OEM Nokia will be in charge of connectivity technologies, including private network solutions. The Institut Mines-Telecom, through its Values and Policies of Personal Information Chair will look at the notions of trust and sovereignty applied to telecommunications and more specifically the issue of hosting data at the edge of the network (edge computing). The researchers at Institut Mines-Telecom (Télécom Paris) will also work on the social impacts through multidisciplinary research: economic, legal, management and design. The aim is to meet the general public’s expectations and foster real digital inclusion with the implementation of a charter of trust.

The 5G Living Labs in Rennes have been designed as part of SNCF’s Digital Responsibility policy. These platforms will help anticipate new energy approaches, new radio environment designs, and test cybersecurity, for instance, or ensure that the digital services of the future comply with the GDPR.