ABP becomes 1st port operator in the UK to get private 5G network

Verizon Business has been selected by Associated British Ports (ABP) to deploy private 5G at the Port of Southampton.

Delivered in partnership with Nokia, Verizon’s private 5G platform will provide one of the United Kingdom’s busiest ports with a secure, low-latency private network connection.

Specifically, private 5G technology builds the foundation for future deployment of Internet of Things (IoT) and Machine Learning applications for more effective operations.

ABP operates a network of 21 ports, including the Port of Southampton. Acting as the UK’s number one port responsible for £40 billion in exports from the UK every year, the Port of Southampton provides a critical link in supply chains serving businesses and manufacturers throughout the nation. It is also the UK’s number one port for cars and cruise, handling approximately 900,000 cars and welcoming millions of cruise passengers annually.

With this new contract, the Port of Southampton will become the first UK mainland port with access to a private 5G network.

“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,” Tami Erwin, CEO, Verizon Business, 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.”

As explained, the Verizon private 5G platform will provide ABP with a private wireless data network across selected areas within the East and West Docks of the Port. This will enable data communications to be consolidated onto a single network, reducing previous complexity as well as helping to improve the reliability and security of terminal communications.

The deployment will not only address the immediate problem of loss of onsite data communications as a result of poor wifi connectivity, but the advanced capabilities of private 5G, specifically its reliability, throughput, security and ultra low latency can help enable the use of new technologies such as real-time analytics, the Internet of Things (IoT) and Machine Learning.

In turn, this can help with the enablement of new service advancements including asset tracking, autonomous guided vehicles, workflow management, predictive maintenance and safety monitoring in the near future.

“Becoming the first mainland port operator in the UK to offer a private 5G network to our customers is a fantastic milestone for ABP,” Henrik L. Pedersen, ABP Chief Executive Officer, commented.

“We would like to thank our partners for enabling this project, which will equip our Port in Southampton with the … infrastructure needed to be at the forefront of the digital revolution in the maritime industry.”