Team News Riveting
Raipur, October 23
Towards a significant technological milestone, Bhilai Steel Plant has successfully conducted the first-ever captive 5G network trial within a Public Sector Undertaking (PSU), marking a major step towards next-generation industrial connectivity and automation.
The initiative was undertaken by Telecommunications Department of BSP, in collaboration with the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Delhi.
Throughout the process, Prakash, HoD (Telecom), and H R Sirmour, GM (Telecom), provided continuous guidance, while the overall review of the activity was conducted by T K Krishna Kumar, CGM (Electrical).
The project traces its origin to a video conference held on 12th July 2024 between the team of IIT Delhi and the Telecommunications Department of BSP to deliberate upon the implementation of 5G network technology in the plant. From IIT Delhi, Professor K K Sirohi and A S Mandal participated in the conference, while from BSP, T K Krishna Kumar, CGM (Electrical), and officials from the Telecommunications Department attended the session.
Subsequently, during August 2025, Professor K K Sirohi and A S Mandal visited Bhilai Steel Plant to study the infrastructure, working systems, and communication arrangements at the SMS-3 department. During their assessment, it was observed that due to heavy metallic structures and high noise levels within the shop area, both mobile and walkie-talkie signals were weak, leading to difficulties in effective communication and impacting operational performance.
After detailed deliberations, a joint decision was taken to conduct a trial of the captive 5G network equipment developed by IIT Delhi within the SMS-3 area. Following this, IIT Delhi deputed a technical team to BSP from 14th to 16th October 2025 for setting up and testing the system.
The team successfully installed the captive 5G network at key operational points including BOF Control Room, LF-2, CK-2, and the Billet Yard. Under the coordination of S Bhattacharya, Sr. Manager (Telecom), and Prajesh Srivastava, Assistant Manager (Telecom), voice and video call signal testing was conducted over the newly deployed network.
Further, Pankaj Rai, Sr. Manager (Telecom), utilized the captive 5G network to establish wireless connectivity between CCTV cameras and computers, yielding satisfactory results. The IIT Delhi team, while expressing appreciation for the cooperation and support extended by BSP, recommended a more extensive round of high-intensity testing to be carried out during their upcoming visit.
The IIT Delhi representatives conveyed that this successful trial represents the first-ever implementation of a captive 5G network in a Public Sector Undertaking, where existing devices and communication systems were seamlessly operated using 5G technology.
