Valenciaport has embarked on a project to develop and implement its own 5G network, which is ready to work without cables or ties to external operators.
The network has more than 25,000 connected devices.
Valenciaport’s 5G network will use n40 frequencies, frequencies regulated by the public administration, thus ensuring the privacy of the network in the port area and allowing for customised security, controlling the devices that are connected.
The initiative has a budget of nearly €6 million ($6.17 million), co-financed by the Connecting Europe Facility of European Union (CEF) project.
In total, more than 15 n40 base stations will be deployed with one, two and even three sectors, which will provide almost total coverage of the Port Authority’s areas of operation.
The solution will reportedly integrate market-leading technologies and solutions with a 5G private network core in its Stand-Alone (SA) mode. It will include the core network as well as the RAN (Radio Access Network) and routing/switching elements.
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The network will support a maximum throughput of 10 gigabits per second (Gbps) and at least 25,000 connected devices in a geo-redundant core network consisting of a cluster of two network controllers, which interconnect all Base Bands. In addition, it will have its own high-availability cyber security system.
The network will be deployed in a single n40 frequency band (2.3 – 2.4 gigahertz (GHz)), which has a bandwidth of 20 megahertz (MHz) (expandable to 40 MHz soon). Two use cases, one for ‘police surveillance’ and one for ‘remote maintenance’, will be built in the first stage to test the network, which is necessary to cover the entire territory of the port.
According to the director of the Port Authority of València (PAV), Enrique Belda: “5G will allow us to configure the technological future of the Port of València, a future that will provide advanced connectivity for the improvement of innovation and the definitive digital transformation.”
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Javier Gallego, head of Technologies at the PAV, said: “Our 5G SA network is one of the fundamental pillars to achieve the goal of becoming a definitive smart port, based on two pillars: security and mobility.”
Last September, the Port of Valencia (PAV) announced that its solar power-producing facilities have been operating at full capacity during the summer months.
