NTT Group and Taisei Corporation Succeed in Remote and Automatic Control of Multiple Heavy Machineries using IOWN APN, Local 5G, and 60GHz Wireless LAN
NTT Group and Taisei Corporation successfully demonstrated the remote and automatic control of multiple heavy machineries across two locations in Mie Prefecture using IOWN APN, Local 5G, and WiGig to promote construction automation.
📋 Article Processing Timeline
- 📰 Published: April 11, 2026 at 02:53
- 🔍 Collected: April 11, 2026 at 00:20
- 🤖 AI Analyzed: April 20, 2026 at 06:48 (222h 27m after Collected)
Announcement Highlights:
- Successfully connected two locations in Mie Prefecture via IOWN APN, enabling the remote control and automatic control of multiple heavy machineries from different manufacturers using a single control console from a remote location.
- Achieved technology that allows uncrewed construction involving long-distance movement and turning operations of heavy machinery to be conducted stably in wide-area construction sites by utilizing Local 5G and 60GHz band wireless LAN appropriately depending on the application.
- Moving forward, we will proceed with joint studies on field implementation to contribute to solving challenges such as labor shortages in the construction industry and popularizing construction automation aimed for in i-Construction 2.0.
NTT Corporation (Headquarters: Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo, President & CEO: Akira Shimada, hereafter 'NTT'), NTT East Corporation (Headquarters: Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo, President: Naoki Shibuya, hereafter 'NTT East'), and Taisei Corporation (Headquarters: Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo, President: Yoshiro Aikawa, hereafter 'Taisei Corporation') successfully established an environment utilizing IOWN APN (All-Photonics Connect: provided by NTT West), Local 5G (Giga-Raku 5G Select: provided by NTT East), and 60GHz band wireless LAN (WiGig*1) to further advance construction automation. Utilizing Taisei's connection switching system, they successfully demonstrated remote control and automatic control of multiple heavy machineries from a remote location using a single control console. This enables the promotion of deployment in actual construction sites where multiple heavy machines operate, raising expectations for further productivity improvement and allowing for a response to the shortage of skilled workers.
1. Background
In the construction industry today, the shortage of skilled workers and long working hours have become severe issues, driving the promotion of construction automation through automated construction, remote construction, and the utilization of construction data. When advancing the remote and automatic control of heavy machinery, real-time operability and depth perception enabled by low-latency, low-jitter communication are required. Heavy machinery moving within a construction site requires a last-mile wireless connection. However, for automatically controlled heavy machinery and robots to operate stably across a wide site, establishing a wireless environment—such as covering a wide area with the bandwidth needed to transmit high-definition video from multiple angles—is one of the challenges.
2. Experiment Overview
During the period from Monday, February 2, 2026, to Friday, February 27, 2026, two locations were connected via IOWN APN: a remote control base equipped with a remote control/automatic control system and a connection switching system, and a demonstration site where three heavy machines were deployed. Furthermore, the wireless environment at the demonstration site was built using Local 5G for the automatic control wireless network, covering a wide area of about 300 meters with large-capacity communication, and using WiGig for the remote control wireless network to perform low-jitter transmission of multiple camera images and control signals.
In this environment, we demonstrated that a series of processes—excavation and loading of soil with a hydraulic excavator, transportation with a crawler dump truck, and leveling with a bulldozer—could all be executed entirely through remote and automatic control. In addition, we demonstrated that stable remote control is possible even during long-distance movement of heavy machinery.
3. Key Technologies
1. Construction automation coordinating multiple heavy machines via low-latency, zero-jitter IOWN APN
By combining IOWN APN, which features low latency and zero jitter, with Taisei Corporation's connection switching system...
- Successfully connected two locations in Mie Prefecture via IOWN APN, enabling the remote control and automatic control of multiple heavy machineries from different manufacturers using a single control console from a remote location.
- Achieved technology that allows uncrewed construction involving long-distance movement and turning operations of heavy machinery to be conducted stably in wide-area construction sites by utilizing Local 5G and 60GHz band wireless LAN appropriately depending on the application.
- Moving forward, we will proceed with joint studies on field implementation to contribute to solving challenges such as labor shortages in the construction industry and popularizing construction automation aimed for in i-Construction 2.0.
NTT Corporation (Headquarters: Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo, President & CEO: Akira Shimada, hereafter 'NTT'), NTT East Corporation (Headquarters: Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo, President: Naoki Shibuya, hereafter 'NTT East'), and Taisei Corporation (Headquarters: Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo, President: Yoshiro Aikawa, hereafter 'Taisei Corporation') successfully established an environment utilizing IOWN APN (All-Photonics Connect: provided by NTT West), Local 5G (Giga-Raku 5G Select: provided by NTT East), and 60GHz band wireless LAN (WiGig*1) to further advance construction automation. Utilizing Taisei's connection switching system, they successfully demonstrated remote control and automatic control of multiple heavy machineries from a remote location using a single control console. This enables the promotion of deployment in actual construction sites where multiple heavy machines operate, raising expectations for further productivity improvement and allowing for a response to the shortage of skilled workers.
1. Background
In the construction industry today, the shortage of skilled workers and long working hours have become severe issues, driving the promotion of construction automation through automated construction, remote construction, and the utilization of construction data. When advancing the remote and automatic control of heavy machinery, real-time operability and depth perception enabled by low-latency, low-jitter communication are required. Heavy machinery moving within a construction site requires a last-mile wireless connection. However, for automatically controlled heavy machinery and robots to operate stably across a wide site, establishing a wireless environment—such as covering a wide area with the bandwidth needed to transmit high-definition video from multiple angles—is one of the challenges.
2. Experiment Overview
During the period from Monday, February 2, 2026, to Friday, February 27, 2026, two locations were connected via IOWN APN: a remote control base equipped with a remote control/automatic control system and a connection switching system, and a demonstration site where three heavy machines were deployed. Furthermore, the wireless environment at the demonstration site was built using Local 5G for the automatic control wireless network, covering a wide area of about 300 meters with large-capacity communication, and using WiGig for the remote control wireless network to perform low-jitter transmission of multiple camera images and control signals.
In this environment, we demonstrated that a series of processes—excavation and loading of soil with a hydraulic excavator, transportation with a crawler dump truck, and leveling with a bulldozer—could all be executed entirely through remote and automatic control. In addition, we demonstrated that stable remote control is possible even during long-distance movement of heavy machinery.
3. Key Technologies
1. Construction automation coordinating multiple heavy machines via low-latency, zero-jitter IOWN APN
By combining IOWN APN, which features low latency and zero jitter, with Taisei Corporation's connection switching system...