WISCO, China Unicom, ZTE win 'Outstanding Use Case: Private Wireless Networks' award at 2023 Leading Lights Awards

The companies collaborated on the "5G Fully-Connected Factory" project.

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ZTE Corporation (0763.HK / 000063.SZ), which positions itself as a global leading provider of ICT solutions, has been honoured with the "Outstanding Use Case: Private Wireless Networks" award in partnership with WISCO (Wuhan Iron and Steel Co) and China Unicom's Wuhan Branch. This prestigious recognition was awarded at the 2023 Leading Lights Awards for their collaborative project, "5G Fully-Connected Factory".

This accolade symbolises international acclaim for the joint effort in creating a fully connected, smart steel factory. It serves as a model example, driving forward the digital transformation of the steel industry.

Recognised as one of the most reputable and authoritative awards in the industry, the Leading Lights Awards was inaugurated in 2004 and is now celebrating its 19th year. Its primary objective is to commend companies and cases from across the globe that have achieved remarkable accomplishments in communication technology, applications, services, strategies and innovation.

In 1958, WISCO made history by producing China's first iron water furnace. In 2016, it merged with Baosteel Group, giving rise to Baowu Group, the world's largest steel company. With an annual steel output of 130 million tons and total revenue of 1.2 trillion yuan in 2022, Baowu Group is a dominant force in the industry. WISCO proudly stands as one of the four major production bases within the Baowu Group.

WISCO's "5G Fully-Connected Factory" project has emerged as the largest 5G private network in the global steel industry, boasting an impressive 99% 5G coverage within the factory premises. Leveraging this robust 5G private network infrastructure, the project has deployed 25 steel applications across six major scenarios. These applications span intelligent logistics, production control, digital equipment management, energy and environmental control, quality control and safety management.

To streamline operations, the factory has established a company-level control centre along with dedicated operation centres for ironmaking, steelmaking, CSP and hot rolling. This integration has paved the way for a seamless, all-in-one-click steelmaking process. Notably, in critical steel core production areas, such as unmanned overhead cranes and molten iron transportation, ZTE has introduced a 5G computing power base for industrial control. This integrated solution encompasses terminals, edge computing, cloud infrastructure, networks and services. It adeptly fulfils the stringent requirements of steel industrial control, ensuring extremely low latency, ultra-low jitter and utmost reliability.

Through the transformative power of 5G technology, WISCO has achieved remarkable results, including a 19% increase in overall efficiency, a 23% reduction in labour costs, a 10% decrease in energy consumption and a significant annual reduction of 750 000 tons in carbon emissions. ZTE's "1+N+X" 5G construction and application model, implemented at WISCO, has not only been a resounding success, but has also served as a blueprint for replication in numerous steel projects across China. This achievement stands as a significant milestone in the digital advancement of the metallurgical steel industry and process manufacturing.

Moving forward, ZTE will remain committed to advancing the integration of 5G technology into enterprise core production. This entails a gradual shift from single-point scenario construction to comprehensive, systematic applications across production lines, workshops and parks. These initiatives will continue to support industries in their digital transformation and long-term, high-quality development, while setting industry benchmarks for fully connected 5G factories.