The 5G platform will be delivered in partnership with Nokia and promises to supply a secure, low-latency network connection to the Port of Southampton — making it the first UK mainland port with a private 5G network.
ABP operates a network of 21 ports, including Southampton. The Port of Southampton is responsible for £40bn in exports from the UK every year, providing a critical link in supply chains serving businesses and manufacturers. It handles around 900,000 cars and millions of cruise passengers annually.
Tami Erwin, Verizon Business CEO, said that Verizon’s 5G allows higher levels of security and deeper customisation for partners. “Businesses such as ABP are coming under more pressure to evolve their services at tremendous speeds in order to take advantage of new commercial opportunities,” Erwin said.
“Along with Nokia, we have been able to equip ABP to take advantage of the immediate benefits private 5G offers, and most importantly prepare the Port of Southampton to take full advantage of new technology applications and real-time analytics which will digitally transform its services in the future.”
The platform will provide ABP with a reliable wireless data network across selected areas within the East and West Docks of the Port, enabling consolidation of data communications onto a single network.
Deployment aims to address the issue of loss of onsite data communications as a result of poor Wifi connectivity as well as helping to enable the use of new technologies such as IoT and Machine Learning. This could help with asset tracking, autonomous guided vehicles, workflow management, predictive maintenance and safety monitoring.
Verizon Business announced the launch of its international private 5G platform for enterprises located in Europe and Asia-Pacific in October 2020. The solution enables businesses to deploy a private industrial grade 5G network capability within their premises. The network is on Nokia Digital Automation Cloud, an application platform providing high-bandwidth, low-latency, hyper-fast private wireless connectivity and local edge computing.
“The 5G opportunity will be fully realised within Industry 4.0 as spectrum opens up and private 5G networks go into operation at industrial sites around the world,” said Brian Fitzgerald, SVP Verizon Business Group, Nokia.