As fleets of autonomous robots expand across warehouses and retail operations, the robots-as-a-service (RaaS) market is projected to grow more than 30% annually through 2030 — driving demand for more reliable wireless connectivity than traditional Wi-Fi can provide.
Private 5G networking firm Celona and connectivity provider Digi International began delivering the next generation of RaaS at scale for major retail operations in January. They recently explained their new technology at the National Retail Federation (NRF) as a unique, private 5G connectivity system that prevents robots from falling offline, compromising safety, and accidentally destroying inventory.
The two companies teamed up to integrate Digi’s industrial edge devices and gateways with Celona’s private 5G LAN platform. That means Digi-certified hardware, such as rugged routers and internet of things (IoT) gateways, works natively to improve reliability in warehouse operations where traditional Wi-Fi struggles.
Inventory tracking using computer vision, autonomous robots, and connected workers requires low-latency, high-capacity wireless networks. Digi’s industrial routers and edge devices bridge the gap between legacy equipment such as programmable logic controllers (PLCs), sensors, and private networks, making it easier to deploy and scale automated systems across retail environments.
