Bharti Airtel, Ericsson, and Volvo Group Partner to Explore AI, XR, and Digital Twin Technologies in Manufacturing

Bharti Airtel, Ericsson, Volvo Group to explore XR, Digital Twin tech, AI in manufacturing

Bharti Airtel, Ericsson, and Volvo Group have partnered for a 5G research initiative to enhance manufacturing through XR, Digital Twin, and AI technologies. The collaboration, at Volvo Group's Bangalore facilities, aims at transforming industrial operations, workforce training, and real-time process optimization, advancing Industry 4.0 applications and fostering innovation with 5G connectivity.Bharti Airtel, Ericsson and the Volvo Group have entered into a 5G-related research partnership to explore the potential of Extended Reality (XR), Digital Twin technologies and AI in the manufacturing sector. The R&D collaboration aims to transform industrial operations, enhance workforce training and drive real-time process optimisation, leveraging 5G and 5G-Advanced technologies. The research engagement will be conducted at the Volvo Group Factory and Volvo Group's R&D Centre in Bangalore. "It will explore futuristic Industrial Metaverse applications, including Human and Machine interaction and collaboration - use cases that will blend physical and digital worlds," the companies said in a joint statement Monday. Learnings will enable enhanced efficiency and foster innovation, providing a digital platform for immersive training and real-time process optimisation through introduction of cutting edge AI technologies. Sharat Sinha, Director & CEO (Airtel Business) said that through this collaboration, Airtel's high-speed, low-latency 5G network would "redefine and transform the manufacturing sector," by enabling real-time XR applications for enhanced productivity and efficiencies, unlocking new revenue streams and accelerating the adoption of Industry 4.0 applications. Volvo Group India managing director Kamal Bali said industry is undergoing a once in a lifetime transformation, driven by emerging trends across automation, connectivity and alternative energy carriers, tools that will be key in the company's ambitions to be Net Zero and shape a sustainable future for all. "This transformation also includes the way we work and collaborate across our industrial and R&D sites. 5G, coupled with Extended Reality applications, will help foster innovation as well as collaboration between our sites and engineers, in real-time, through the power of connectivity and digitalisation backed by advanced AI technologies." Ericsson India MD Nitin Bansal said 5G would be a game-changer towards enabling intelligent, connected, and immersive industrial experiences. "This collaboration underscores Ericsson's commitment to driving innovation through 5G and Extended Reality. By combining our expertise in network technology with cutting-edge XR applications, we are creating an ecosystem that will help industries to transform manufacturing."

Airtel, Ericsson, Volvo Partner on AI, Digital Twins, and XR Over 5G Advanced in India

Airtel's 5G Advanced network will enable real-time simulations, design prototyping, and immersive training. Bharti Airtel, Ericsson, and the Volvo Group have announced a strategic research partnership to explore the potential of Extended Reality (XR), Digital Twin technologies, and Artificial Intelligence (AI) in manufacturing. By leveraging 5G and 5G Advanced, the collaboration aims to transform industrial operations, enhance workforce training, and optimise real-time processes. Also Read: Bharti Airtel Awards 5G Extension Deal to Nokia for 5G-Advanced Network Evolution The research, set to be conducted at Volvo Group's Factory and R&D Centre in Bangalore, will focus on Industrial Metaverse applications, blending the physical and digital worlds. Key areas of exploration include human-machine interaction and collaboration, immersive training, real-time process optimisation and digitalisation of manufacturing processes using AI and real-time connectivity. "A key pillar of this initiative is the deployment and exploration of Airtel's 5G advanced network as the foundation for industrial XR applications. With its ultra-low latency and high-speed capabilities, 5G has the potential to enable differentiated connectivity for real-time simulations, design prototyping, and immersive training across multiple factory and industrial sites," the companies said in a joint statement on March 17. Airtel's 5G Advanced network will serve as the backbone for real-time simulations, design prototyping, and smart factory solutions, enabling industries to test "what-if" scenarios without disrupting actual operations. This initiative will not only boost efficiency but also open new revenue streams for telecom and manufacturing sectors. The Research partners said, "Beyond operational efficiencies, the collaboration will play its part in supporting the path to Industry 4.0 and beyond while also offering opportunities to unlock new revenue streams and business models for the telcos." Additionally, the insights gained through this research will help enhance network readiness for Industrial XR, paving the way for immersive communication solutions in smart factories, the companies said. Also Read: Airtel Partners with SpaceX to Bring Starlink Internet to its Customers in India Kamal Bali, President and MD, Volvo Group India commented, "Our industry is undergoing a once in a lifetime transformation driven by the emerging trends across automation, connectivity and alternative energy carriers - tools which will be key in our ambitions to be Net Zero and shape a sustainable future for all. This transformation also includes the way we work and collaborate across our industrial and R&D sites. 5G, coupled with Extended Reality applications, will help foster innovation as well as collaboration between our sites and engineers, in real-time, through the power of connectivity and digitalisation backed by advanced AI technologies." "Through this collaboration, our high-speed, low latency 5G network will redefine and transform the manufacturing sector by enabling real-time XR applications for enhanced productivity and efficiencies, unlocking new revenue streams and accelerating the adoption of Industry 4.0 applications," added Sharat Sinha, Director and CEO - Airtel Business. 4G/5G Monetisation: Monetising 4G and 5G: Key Takeaways to Date and What's Next? Nitin Bansal, Managing Director, Ericsson India, said, "As India embraces Industry 4.0, 5G will be a game-changer towards enabling intelligent, connected, and immersive industrial experiences. This collaboration with Airtel and Volvo Group underscores Ericsson's commitment to driving innovation through 5G and Extended Reality. By combining our expertise in network technology with cutting edge XR applications, we are creating an ecosystem that will help industries to transform manufacturing. The research insights will be instrumental in shaping the future of industrial digitalisation, not just in India but globally." As industries accelerate digital transformation, this partnership, according to the companies, "will help networks support the growing demand for XR-driven innovations, aiding businesses to improve productivity and scale operations seamlessly."

Ericsson, Volvo Group & Airtel Partner to Drive Digital Twins, XR Adoption in India

Ericsson, Volvo Group and Bharti Airtel have teamed up to explore extended reality (XR), digital twins and AI in manufacturing. The partnership will look to leverage 5G and 5G Advanced to enhance industrial operations, workforce training and real time process optimisation. Airtel's 5G Advanced network will support real-time simulations, design prototyping and immersive training. The project will also test new manufacturing concepts without disrupting operations. Meanwhile, the research will be conducted at Volvo Group's factory and R&D centre in Bengaluru. It will focus on Industrial Metaverse applications, enabling seamless human-machine collaboration by merging physical and digital environments. "It will explore futuristic Industrial Metaverse applications including human and machine interaction and collaboration - use cases that will blend the physical and digital worlds. Learnings from this research partnership will enable enhanced efficiency and foster innovation in the manufacturing arena , providing a digital platform for immersive training and real time process optimisation through introduction of cutting edge AI technologies," the companies said in a joint statement. Sharat Sinha, director and CEO of Airtel Business, said that via this collaboration, Airtel's high-speed, low latency 5G network will redefine and transform the manufacturing sector by enabling real-time XR applications for enhanced productivity and efficiencies, while unlocking new revenue streams and accelerating the adoption of Industry 4.0 applications. Notably, the update comes at a time when the government is increasing its efforts in the direction of XR and digital twins. Last month, the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) signed a Letter of Intent (LoI) with the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) to enhance cooperation on advanced technologies such as AI-powered solutions, digital twins, virtual environments, and IMT-2030 innovations. As part of this agreement, the DoT will contribute insights from its Sangam initiative, while the ITU will share findings from its Citiverse programme. Both organisations will collaborate to integrate cross-sector data and support joint planning efforts. Notably, the DoT launched the "Sangam: Digital Twin Initiative" in February 2024, aiming to harness 5G/6G, IoT, AI, and AR/VR technologies for developing smart infrastructure. This followed the Indian government's 2023 decision to incorporate the National Digital Twin programme into its national geospatial policy.

Ericsson, Volvo Group, and Airtel announce research collaboration on Digital Twins & XR over 5G Advanced in India

In a groundbreaking step towards accelerating Industry 4.0 and Industry 5.0 adoption in India, Ericsson (NASDAQ: ERIC), Volvo Group, and Bharti Airtel today announced their research partnership to explore the potential of Extended Reality (XR) ,Digital Twin technologies and AI in the manufacturing sector. By leveraging the power of 5G and 5G Advanced, this collaboration aims to transform industrial operations, enhance workforce training, and drive real-time process optimization. The research engagement, to be conducted at the Volvo Group Factory and Volvo Group's R&D Centre in Bangalore, will explore futuristic Industrial Metaverse applications including Human and Machine interaction and collaboration - use cases that will blend the physical and digital worlds. Learnings from this research partnership will enable enhanced efficiency and foster innovation in the manufacturing arena , providing a digital platform for immersive training and real-time process optimization through introduction of cutting edge AI technologies . A key pillar of this initiative is the deployment and exploration of Airtel's 5G advanced network as the foundation for industrial XR applications. With its ultra-low latency and high-speed capabilities, 5G has the potential to enable differentiated connectivity for real-time simulations, design prototyping, and immersive training across multiple factory and industrial sites. This will allow the opportunity to experiment with new immersive concepts in the manufacturing arena , test 'what if' scenarios and optimize production workflows without any disruption to actual operations. Beyond operational efficiencies, the collaboration will play its part in supporting the path to Industry 4.0 and beyond while also offering opportunities to unlock new revenue streams and business models for the telcos. The insights gained through this research will help enhance network readiness for Industrial XR, paving the way for immersive communication solutions in smart factories. Kamal Bali, President & MD, Volvo Group India commented "Our industry is undergoing a once in a lifetime transformation driven by the emerging trends across automation, connectivity and alternative energy carriers - tools which will be key in our ambitions to be Net Zero and shape a sustainable future for all. This transformation also includes the way we work and collaborate across our industrial and R&D sites. 5G, coupled with Extended Reality applications, will help foster innovation as well as collaboration between our sites and engineers, in real-time, through the power of connectivity & digitalization backed by advanced AI technologies." Sharat Sinha, Director & CEO - Airtel Business said, "We are thrilled to leverage the capabilities of our advanced 5G network for innovative industrial applications in partnership with Ericsson and Volvo Group. Through this collaboration, our high-speed, low latency 5G network will redefine and transform the manufacturing sector by enabling real-time XR applications for enhanced productivity and efficiencies, unlocking new revenue streams and accelerating the adoption of Industry 4.0 applications." Commenting on this collaboration, Nitin Bansal, Managing Director, Ericsson India says :"As India embraces Industry 4.0, 5G will be a game-changer towards enabling intelligent, connected, and immersive industrial experiences. This collaboration with Airtel and Volvo Group underscores Ericsson's commitment to driving innovation through 5G and Extended Reality. By combining our expertise in network technology with cutting-edge XR applications, we are creating an ecosystem that will help industries to transform manufacturing. The research insights will be instrumental in shaping the future of industrial digitalization, not just in India but globally." As industries increasingly adopt digital transformation, this initiative will help networks support the growing demand for XR-driven innovations, aiding businesses to improve productivity and scale operations seamlessly. ABOUT ERICSSON: Ericsson's high-performing networks provide connectivity for billions of people every day. For nearly 150 years, we've been pioneers in creating technology for communication. We offer mobile communication and connectivity solutions for service providers and enterprises. Together with our customers and partners, we make the digital world of tomorrow a reality. www.ericsson.com About Volvo Group: The Volvo Group is one of the world's leading manufacturers of trucks, buses, construction equipment and marine and industrial engines. The Group also provides complete solutions for financing and service. The Volvo Group, which employs 105,000 people, has production facilities in 18 countries and sells its products in more than 190 markets. India is a home base for AB Volvo Group and the Indian operations closely mirror the Group's global profile. Headquartered in Bangalore, Volvo Group in India