In another example of the growing interest in 5G shown by many industries, Steel Authority of India Limited (SAIL)-Bokaro Steel Plant (BSL) has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Telecommunications Consultants India Ltd (TCIL) to explore the potential of applications of 5G and other wireless communication technologies in its SAIL-Bokaro Steel Plant.
SAIL is an Indian state-owned steel-making company based in New Delhi. With an annual production of 16.30 million metric tons, it is described as the 20th largest steel firm in the world and the largest in India. SAIL operates and owns five integrated steel plants, including Bokaro and three special steel plants.
TCIL is an engineering and consultancy Government of India Undertaking established in 1978 under the administrative control of the Department of Telecommunications (DOT).
This focus of this project would be SAIL's mines and collieries, its central coal supply organization and the SAIL refractory unit in Jharkhand, a state in eastern India.
Of course, there is still a long way to go before 5G deployment is carried out by SAIL-BSL, or even comprehensively assessed. However, according to Indian press reports, this deal makes SAIL-BSL the first public sector undertaking (PSU) in the country to look into setting up a dedicated 5G network with the help of TCIL and potentially pave the way for the application of 5G technologies in steel manufacturing.
