ASN Nokia opens largest private industrial 5G network in Europe

The โ€œlargest private industrial 5G network in Europeโ€ has opened in Calais, in France, using 59 small cell antennas to cover a 50,000 square-metre production site belonging to Alcatel Submarine ... The post โ€˜Largest private industrial 5G network in Europeโ€™ โ€“ by Nokia, for ASN (Nokia) appeared first on Enterprise IoT Insights.
ASN Nokia opens largest private industrial 5G network in Europe
Image Credit: ASN

Alcatel Submarine Networks (ASN), the optical submarine division of telecoms vendor Nokia, has just opened Europe’s largest private industrial 5G network in Calais. This epic project boasts 59 small cell antennas covering a spectacular 50,000 square meters and is set to revolutionize production for ASN across France.


The Finnish company has provided the network infrastructure and successfully partnered with Iliad, a mobile operator, Free Pro–both of which are part of the Iliad Group–in addition to Sopra Steria and BSCA from France, both industry-leading Industry 4.0 integration consulting services providers.

Although there’s no mention of it in the press release, Iliad’s involvement suggests that some spectrum from a public operator is being used. French regulator Arcep has begun to open up 3.8-4.0 GHz for private 5G networks as well, and Nokia has already been involved with early enterprise-owned private networking projects occurring throughout France.

After an intensive two-year process, Nokia successfully installed and integrated the small cells. This development covers 11 buildings with 57 indoor emission points as well as two outdoor emission points that extend to the loading docks.

ASN’s Industry 4.0 initiative is a groundbreaking effort to revolutionize its industrial processes, boost operational performance and enhance the work environment for employees. By integrating virtual and real domains in procurement, logistics, production, and maintenance along with other areas of business operations, ASN aims to use Industrial IoT practices and applications as part of this ambitious endeavor – which Nokia will be helping them achieve from the start.

At the unveiling of this network, representatives from all parties were invited to view the five exciting showcased items. These included digitalizing industrial processes (โ€œdematerialising of all proceduresโ€), laser sensors on cable storage tanks for fill-level management (โ€œavailability monitoring”), an energy usage tracking system within factory buildings ( โ€œenergy resource optimization and control,” connected glasses used for remote maintenance assistance in workshops, and predictive maintenance (“analysis of production issues regarding different equipment”).

ASN proudly boasts 700,000 kilometers of optical submarine networks all over the world- enough to traverse around the globe a total of 17 times! A statement declared that 5G would add an extra layer of security and speed to industrial processes. Thanks to its capability for automatic data collection and IoT integration, it enables predictive algorithms which support faster production management as well as streamline cable storage in factories โ€“ a significant challenge.


Recent Content

Deutsche Telekom, Orange, and the Linux Foundation outline their 2025 cloud-native telecom roadmap, highlighting Kubernetes-native workloads, AI integration, observability, and zero-trust security models. Learn how open-source tooling, GitOps automation, and cultural transformation are reshaping next-gen telco operations.
Indiaโ€™s telecom sector is forecasted to grow 12โ€“14% in FY25, hitting โ‚น3 lakh crore in revenue, with AI adoption, Vodafone-led tariff hikes, and R&D investment driving momentum. AI is not just boosting efficiencyโ€”itโ€™s reshaping the future of telecom jobs, infrastructure, and policy. Sunil Bharti Mittal called for stronger private R&D efforts and smarter policy frameworks to harness Indiaโ€™s demographic advantage and scale the next era of AI-powered telecom innovation.
Web3 is redefining the telecom industry by introducing decentralized infrastructure, blockchain-based billing, smart contracts, NFTs, and digital identity. This article explores how telcos can evolve from connectivity providers to key players in Web3 ecosystemsโ€”offering programmable services, token economies, and secure, user-centric digital experiences.
As the telecom industry celebrates World Telecom Day 2025, the theme is clear: connectivity is not just infrastructureโ€”it is empowerment. It is what enables a student in a rural village to access world-class education, a farmer to monitor crops via smart sensors, or a doctor to conduct remote surgery with millisecond precision.
AT&T will acquire Lumenโ€™s consumer fiber business in a $5.75B deal to expand its broadband coverage to 60 million U.S. locations by 2030. The transaction gives AT&T access to 4M enabled locations, 1M subscribers, and new metro markets like Seattle and Phoenix. Meanwhile, Lumen refocuses on enterprise innovation and AI-first networking.
Whitepaper
Telecom networks are facing unprecedented complexity with 5G, IoT, and cloud services. Traditional service assurance methods are becoming obsolete, making AI-driven, real-time analytics essential for competitive advantage. This independent industry whitepaper explores how DPUs, GPUs, and Generative AI (GenAI) are enabling predictive automation, reducing operational costs, and improving service quality....
Whitepaper
Explore the collaboration between Purdue Research Foundation, Purdue University, Ericsson, and Saab at the Aviation Innovation Hub. Discover how private 5G networks, real-time analytics, and sustainable innovations are shaping the "Airport of the Future" for a smarter, safer, and greener aviation industry....
Article & Insights
This article explores the deployment of 5G NR Transparent Non-Terrestrial Networks (NTNs), detailing the architecture's advantages and challenges. It highlights how this "bent-pipe" NTN approach integrates ground-based gNodeB components with NGSO satellite constellations to expand global connectivity. Key challenges like moving beam management, interference mitigation, and latency are discussed, underscoring...

Download Magazine

With Subscription

Subscribe To Our Newsletter

Scroll to Top