The Port of Tyne has partnered with BT to install a new 5G Private Network provided by Ericsson to manage remote operations and reduce associated fossil fuel consumption.
The arrival of 5G will allow for advanced technology, including robotics and autonomous vehicles, artificial intelligence (AI) and Internet of Things (IoT) applications, said the port.
The Port of Tyne in-house group – the 2050 Maritime Innovation Hub – is further implementing a new hybrid fibre (4G and 5G) Private Network.
Scheduled to go live later this year, the new Private Network infrastructure is set to provide fast and low latency connectivity across the port’s entire estate, opening up the potential for the development and implementation of both established and emerging technology.
BT has been selected as technology partner and will use Ericsson equipment to complete the installation. The move follows a multi-million-pound new partnership announced recently by both technology and telecoms firms to provide commercial 5G Private Networks for the UK market – the first agreement of its kind in the country.
“5G is an enabler and offers us huge potential to implement world-class technology applications and drive real progress in the port and maritime sectors,” said Matt Beeton, CEO of the Port of Tyne.
“We already have a range of use case scenarios developed through the Innovation Hub and are ready to collaborate with technology companies to validate these exciting new solutions.”
Building upon digital transformation, the Port of Tyne’s technology and innovation team has demonstrated a series of initial and potential use cases for this new technology; these include quayside operational optimisation programme and OCR container tracking to enhance supply chain efficiency for clients.
5G processes will also allow for lower emissions and energy consumption compared to previous generations of wireless technology, while resulting in more cost-effective operations.
As part of its future clean strategy, the port recently announced that it will deploy 5G technologies to create a clean energy test bed to benefit the wider UK logistics sector.
