Deutsche Telekom has said the 5G pilot testbed at the Port of Hamburg, which it initiated alongside Nokia, has been successfully completed, with the results showing that the technology can reliably over a common physical infrastructure.
The pilot was initiated in January 2018 and PTI reported in November 2018 that results from the first three tests had shown a demonstrable benefit to the port’s mobile infrastructure.
It was largely focused on a new technological concept called ‘Network Slicing’ which, under 5G, means there no longer be a one size fits all network but rather multiple virtual networks running simultaneously on the same common infrastructure.
According to Deutsche Telekom, three use-cases with different network requirements were tested in the port. The first saw sensors installed on three ships from the Hamburg Port Authority (HPA) Flotte Hamburg GmbH & Co. KG.
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These sensors enable the real-time monitoring and analysis of motion and environmental data from large parts of the port area.
The second test focused on the Port Road Management Center of the HPA, which was able to remotely control traffic flows in and out the port via a traffic light connected to the mobile network.
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This is particularly useful for the port as it can help guide trucks through the port area faster and therefore improving efficiencies.
The third was to test high bandwidth availability and the transfer of 3D information to an augmented reality application.
The field tests are part of an EU project called 5G-MoNArch.
“The test field in the Port of Hamburg is extremely valuable for us to gain practical experience with 5G,” said Antje Williams, Senior Vice President 5G Campus Networks at Deutsche Telekom.
#5G-Feldtest erfolgreich beendet ✅ Gemeinsam mit dem @PortofHamburg & @nokia haben wir im Hamburger Hafen neue Aspekte des 5G-Standards getestet und auf industrielle Einsatzfähigkeit überprüft. Erfahrt hier mehr ^steffi https://t.co/WUlYFusAQU
— Deutsche Telekom AG (@deutschetelekom) June 11, 2019
“The research project has shown that with 5G, we can best adapt our network to the customer's requirements. 5G is the intelligent network of the future.
“Industry and the logistics sector in particular will benefit from 5G as a strong lever for a variety of applications”.
Christoph Schmelz, Nokia research project manager and coordinator of 5G, said: The project in the Port of Hamburg serves as a blueprint for the industrial use of 5G technology.
“We were able to show in a real-world environment that mobile networks can be quickly and flexibly adapted to the needs of industrial users thanks to network slicing.
“Nokia is at the forefront of 5G, providing end-to-end 5Gsolutions across all markets without region limits, and has pioneered this together with Deutsche Telekom and the Hamburg Port Authority.
“5G will become critical infrastructure and change industries as we know them, and Nokia’s expertise in dedicated networks can bring real 5G and growth opportunities for Industry 4.0.”