Deployment Strategies for Ultra-Reliable and Low-Latency Communication in Factory Automation

Factory automation is one of the challenging use cases that the fifth generation, 5G, networks are expected to support. It involves mission-critical machine-type communications, MTC, with requirements of extreme low-latency and ultra-reliable communication to enable real-time control of automation processes in manufacturing facilities. In this paper, we discuss the deployment strategies for the 5G mission-critical MTC solution designed to meet the needs of factory automation applications. The paper analyzes the coverage and capacity aspects based on a series of system-level evaluations considering both noise-limited and interference- limited operations. It further analyzes the related trade-offs to provide insights on the network deployment strategies for a realistic factory scenario.