Nokia has expanded its compact digital automation cloud (DAC) private wireless to boost productivity for the European logistics industry.

Nokia DAC PW Compact provides reliable, secure and high-performance wireless connectivity in small and medium size businesses such as micro fulfilment centres (MFCs) and warehouses.

The 5G private wireless network can help prevent revenue loss in the logistics industry linked to poor warehouse connectivity.

The Nokia DAC PW Compact (www.dac.nokia.com/connectivity-solutions/nokia-dac-pw-compact) is for small-to-medium size businesses and the logistics industry. Following the launch in the USA last year, DAC PW Compact should help the logistics industry overcome connectivity and automation challenges in MFCs and warehouses with new spectrum variants in Italy, Finland, France, Germany, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Spain and the UK.

It provides reliable, secure and high-performance wireless connectivity for applications, devices and machines in MFCs. This can be for autonomous guided vehicles (AGVs), workers’ handhelds, machines, asset trackers and sensors. It is designed to meet the needs of the logistics market, which is undergoing a transformation due to the rise of ecommerce and consumer demand that requires faster and more convenient delivery but is also applicable for other industrial small sites.

According to ABI Research, the market size of the logistics sector in Europe is estimated to be $1.05tn in 2024, and it is expected to reach $1.32tn by 2029 with a CAGR of 4.69% from 2024 to 2029. However, the logistics market in Europe is projected to lose $1.03bn of revenue in 2024 due to failing connectivity, caused by using legacy wifi networks that are not fit for purpose for the high levels for automation and mobility in warehouses.

DAC PW Compact contributes to the digital transformation of industries by reducing energy consumption by up to 60 per cent compared with equivalent wifi deployments, as well as opex costs.

In addition, the technology can help optimise goods-in and out and any goods movements with seamless handover of AGVs between access points, as well as reducing and supporting other use cases such as creating machine digital twins, feeding real time data to workers and accurate real-time asset tracking throughout the supply chain. It can also be enhanced with mission-critical industrial edge (MXIE) capabilities to run, on this on-prem edge application platform, many industrial digitalisation applications supporting key segment use cases.

Stephan Litjens, vice president at Nokia, said: “As digital transformation takes hold within a wider range of industries where security, scalability, productivity and efficiency are much needed, Nokia DAC PW Compact offers the capabilities of our MXIE, simplifies industrial digitalisation of small-medium size businesses and will help accommodate the growing and changing needs of the logistics market in Europe.”