Communications services and solutions provider, BT, has entered into an agreement with Rajant, to access the company's wireless mesh networking solutions.
Rajant is a provider of kinetic mesh technology for private wireless networks.
The agreement expands Rajant's footprint in industrial applications and will accelerate the company's position in wireless mesh networking.
Also, BT can broaden and deepen its customer relationships by deploying the Rajant technology into customers' industrial operations; connect and gather data from sensors, industrial machinery, autonomous vehicle and so on, says BT.
BT's agreement with Rajant enables it to extend the reach of its network deeper into its customers' operations, says Hubertus von Roenne, vice-president, global industry practices at BT.
This means BT's customers with devices located in production lines, and in remote areas, such as mines, oil rigs and other industrial sites, can bring more of their equipment and devices online and thus leverage the industrial Internet of things (IOT) to improve performance and competitive advantage, adds Von Roenne.
As businesses take advantage of the IOT to deliver efficiency and automation, the importance of a secure, resilient and adaptive network with no single point of failure, especially in industrial operations, is critical - since downtime may be counted in millions of dollars an hour, says BT.
Industrial IOT involves securely connecting a very large number of devices and sensors, embedded in equipment, plants and vehicles, in operational environments, says Chris Mason, global industry practice lead - energy and resources at BT Global Services.
The challenges faced by industrial IOT derive from the harsh environments in which these networks operate, as well as environments in which radio signals are blocked by the topology or by metal infrastructure, he adds.
He points out connecting IOT devices securely requires a highly reliable and resilient network, combining high bandwidth and low latency.
"This partnership strengthens BT's network portfolio and provides even more real flexibility in how its customers adopt cloud capabilities and where they can store and process their data."
In the extractive industries, which are weathering the storms of depressed commodity prices, it's all about production efficiencies and how the data generated during production can be used to reduce time and cost and improve quality, says Mason.
There is a strong change in the model regarding the use of data generated during production which means it's now more expensive not to have access to that data, he notes.
Mason points out South African organisations, similar to global companies, are looking to make their operations more efficient and ensure that they harness the power of the digital networked economy to gain efficiencies and gain a competitive advantage.
"BT quickly realised there would be great benefits for customers in adding Rajant's capability to BT's portfolio of network solutions, not just in the mining sector but for any organisation needing to deliver communications and applications in operational environments."
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