EMBRAPII 5G
Connected Industry
Connected Industry: Research will analyze the impacts of 5G on the factory floor
Embrapii announces R$ 9.9 million for project with Telecom companies, startups, and research centers; the initiative foresees the fifth mobile generation integrated with Industry 4.0 on a large scale. An alliance between Embrapii (Brazilian Company for Industrial Research and Innovation), three major telecommunications companies, two startups, and three Brazilian research centers seeks answers for the large-scale application of 5G on the factory floor. Companies and academia will work on the development of software, hardware, and connectivity components to build a platform where industrial applications will be validated.
Called Connectivity 5G and EDGE Computing for Digital Transformation in Industry 4.0 (EDGE5G), the project will be developed under the Basic Funding Alliance (BFA) model, one of Embrapii’s tools for experimental research funding. The contract was signed on January 18th, and the work will be carried out until January 2026, with an expected investment of R$ 9 million from Embrapii and R$ 900,000 from the alliance partners.
“New technologies enable greater efficiency in the production process. With this project, we advance in understanding the impact of 5G connectivity integrated with advanced technologies. The results will serve not only the industry but also people’s lives in general,” highlights Igor Nazareth, interim president of Embrapii.
Called Connectivity 5G and EDGE Computing for Digital Transformation in Industry 4.0 (EDGE5G), the project will be developed under the Basic Funding Alliance (BFA) model, one of Embrapii’s tools for experimental research funding. The contract was signed on January 18th, and the work will be carried out until January 2026, with an expected investment of R$ 9 million from Embrapii and R$ 900,000 from the alliance partners.
“New technologies enable greater efficiency in the production process. With this project, we advance in understanding the impact of 5G connectivity integrated with advanced technologies. The results will serve not only the industry but also people’s lives in general,” highlights Igor Nazareth, interim president of Embrapii.
Applications Tested
The research will create applications supported by 5G, which will be tested on a real private network, as a demonstration testbed for Industry 4.0. The project results encompass developments in Internet of Things (IoT), artificial intelligence (AI), edge computing, augmented reality, and data security aimed at bringing productivity gains to the industry in various applications.
Among them, highlights include real-time tracking of a product or logistics robot (AGV, AMR, etc.) with high precision (within centimeters) inside a warehouse, to the creation of alerts or policies for blocking IoT terminals, in order to prevent the possibility of compromising an industrial plant targeted by cyber attacks.
The research will be developed in an alliance between CPQD (Research and Development Center in Telecommunications), Embrapii Unit for advanced communications; the Innovation Hub of IFPB (Federal Institute of Paraíba), Embrapii accredited unit in the area of systems for manufacturing; and Inatel (National Institute of Telecommunications), Embrapii Unit of Digital Communications. Among those involved are also technology companies, Cisco, Prysmian, and MPT Condutores, as well as startups Taggen and Data Machina.
“5G brings a series of opportunities for the industry, but still lacks answers regarding its applicability. This project brings together competencies from three Embrapii Units to seek answers, unite different technologies, and test a secure and affordable solution, especially for small and medium-sized companies. The challenge is to have, in the near future, a national industrial IoT platform enabled by 5G,” says Gustavo Correa, project coordinator and Connectivity Solutions manager at CPQD, Embrapii Unit.
Among them, highlights include real-time tracking of a product or logistics robot (AGV, AMR, etc.) with high precision (within centimeters) inside a warehouse, to the creation of alerts or policies for blocking IoT terminals, in order to prevent the possibility of compromising an industrial plant targeted by cyber attacks.
The research will be developed in an alliance between CPQD (Research and Development Center in Telecommunications), Embrapii Unit for advanced communications; the Innovation Hub of IFPB (Federal Institute of Paraíba), Embrapii accredited unit in the area of systems for manufacturing; and Inatel (National Institute of Telecommunications), Embrapii Unit of Digital Communications. Among those involved are also technology companies, Cisco, Prysmian, and MPT Condutores, as well as startups Taggen and Data Machina.
“5G brings a series of opportunities for the industry, but still lacks answers regarding its applicability. This project brings together competencies from three Embrapii Units to seek answers, unite different technologies, and test a secure and affordable solution, especially for small and medium-sized companies. The challenge is to have, in the near future, a national industrial IoT platform enabled by 5G,” says Gustavo Correa, project coordinator and Connectivity Solutions manager at CPQD, Embrapii Unit.
Impact on Productivity
The project aims to leverage industrial connectivity with real-time application, sensing, and collection of industrial data, based on the integration of communication technologies, including 5G and edge computing, among others. The expectation is that future discoveries can be applied in various areas involving intensive production with automated equipment, such as the aviation, cosmetics, and agricultural industries.
Furthermore, the creation of the platform and related applications will increase knowledge about Industry 4.0 technologies and validation mechanisms, improve efficiency and security results of industrial processes, and ensure more productivity with reduced costs, stocks, and accidents in companies.
Another important impact will be the improvement of human collaboration with physical industry equipment, through the application of augmented reality, enhancing the emergence of immersive applications and IoT in the industry. The convergence of disruptive technologies is expected to favor industrial process management.
“This research is more than just 5G, as it will adopt a network based on the Open RAN paradigm, a very new technology. When this project aims to build a testbed using open and interoperable platforms, we are taking the first step to understand the maturity level of these technologies. It is important to propose technological development lines like this research and, from there, present the application of these connectivity infrastructures for advanced Industry 4.0 technologies,” adds Rodrigo Uchoa, Director for Digitalization and Innovation at Cisco Brazil.
Furthermore, the creation of the platform and related applications will increase knowledge about Industry 4.0 technologies and validation mechanisms, improve efficiency and security results of industrial processes, and ensure more productivity with reduced costs, stocks, and accidents in companies.
Another important impact will be the improvement of human collaboration with physical industry equipment, through the application of augmented reality, enhancing the emergence of immersive applications and IoT in the industry. The convergence of disruptive technologies is expected to favor industrial process management.
“This research is more than just 5G, as it will adopt a network based on the Open RAN paradigm, a very new technology. When this project aims to build a testbed using open and interoperable platforms, we are taking the first step to understand the maturity level of these technologies. It is important to propose technological development lines like this research and, from there, present the application of these connectivity infrastructures for advanced Industry 4.0 technologies,” adds Rodrigo Uchoa, Director for Digitalization and Innovation at Cisco Brazil.
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