Information and communication technology company Vodacom Business has deployed a mobile private network (MPN) at Sasol’s synthetic fuel facility in Secunda, Mpumalanga.

Tailored to meet the specific needs of Sasol’s operations, the MPN solution provides a dedicated, secure and high- performance mobile network.

“As part of Sasol’s digitalisation journey, there is a focus on using technology to improve processes that impact safety and efficiency across our facilities,” says Sasol operations and projects executive VP Victor Bester.

The collaboration enables the company to accelerate these efforts through improved connectivity and control of the mobile network deployed at the Secunda production facility.

Vodacom’s MPN offers future-proof, secure and robust connectivity to enable businesses to address key safety, efficiency and visibility concerns, and delivers the scalability and reliability required to ensure continuity for mission- and business-critical applications, says Vodacom Business managing executive Peter Malebye.

“By leveraging a single network to create a connected environment – be it a mine or a giant petrochemical facility – organisations can better understand key performance drivers, reduce operational outages and extend asset life.”

With Vodacom’s support of a company’s digitalisation into the future and assisting it to stay connected, an organisation can ultimately bring in other innovations, such as digital twins or enable remote and autonomous operations to improve planning, adds Malebye.

“If Sasol wanted to connect everyone working across its massive operation (around 3 000 people) using WiFi, for example, [it] would have had to roll out a huge amount of infrastructure across the site, which is not only time-consuming and extremely costly but also highly inefficient.”

The MPN integrates Vodacom’s robust network infrastructure with Sasol’s systems, enhancing connectivity to employees, equipment and assets.

The solution also enables real-time and remote monitoring, improves safety and compliance, streamlines asset management, boosts collaboration and optimises overall operational efficiency.

“With an MPN solution, it is possible to deliver optimal connectivity in regions where public networks may be unreliable or unavailable,” continues Malebye, pointing out that an MPN solution differs from a public mobile network in that it provides exclusive access to a particular facility or business, thereby ensuring that the network is optimised for the facility or business’s specific use case.

Other key advantages of an MPN solution include greater control, customisability, increased security and reduced latency.

Further, the MPN architecture ensures that data never leaves the site, providing low latency and high uptime and making it easier to build redundancy.

“With a facility like Sasol’s, it is always mission-critical, which is why having an on-site local network that offers secure and reliable connectivity and enables seamless communication is important.

“While MPNs are becoming increasingly relevant in a South African context, they are not yet as widespread as traditional public mobile networks,” says Malebye.

However, Vodacom Business has been a pioneer in developing tailored MPN offerings for its clients in the Southern African region.

“When Sasol turned to us to embark on this digital journey, it was a privilege for us to walk alongside them and provide them with solutions they needed to transform their operations while making a positive impact on our country’s industrial sector.”