07 October 2024

Temelín nuclear power plant in Czechia has rolled out a private 5G network, provided by Vodafone. The company claims that the network is the first of its kind in Europe.

According to Vodafone, the pilot phase of the network covers outdoor space, as well as selected areas of a production unit. It is intended to enable transition away from two-way radio, as well as to facilitate the use of virtual reality glasses by technicians.

“By being entirely independent from the public network, our private 5G solution ensures that all user data and infrastructure are securely managed within the power plant’s own systems. This is vital for maintaining the highest standards of safety and reliability,” said CEO of Vodafone Czechia, Violeta Luca. “This technology is a key enabler in advancing the secure digitalisation of such critical infrastructure.”

“A selected part of the nuclear power plant’s communication network, as an element of critical infrastructure, must be completely separated from the external network. That is why we always maintain an alternative in the event of an outage, and the management system of course remains completely separate from the outside world,” said ČEZ Group’s nuclear division director, Bohdan Zronek. “We are the first nuclear power plant in Europe to actually test a private 5G network, while other European operators work mostly with 4G.”