5G Goes Live at the Port of Felixstowe

Hutchison Ports Port of Felixstowe has reached a significant milestone by becoming the largest UK port to deploy 5G technology and the Internet of Things (IoT).

The Port of Felixstowe along with consortium members, Three UK, Blue Mesh Solutions and the University of Cambridge was successful in an application for grant funding under the 5G Testbeds and Trials programme run by the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS). The project aims to prove 5G’s capabilities in a busy port environment.

The project seeks to deliver on two use cases: predictive maintenance of quay cranes using Internet of Things (IoT) sensors and providing communications for remote control yard cranes. The availability of equipment is integral to port operations. Routine maintenance is an absolute necessity but can restrict equipment availability. The algorithm will maximise the amount of time cranes are in use and will reduce the cost associated with emergency repairs and day-to-day maintenance. The 5G network can handle the huge volume of data collected which will be used to train the algorithm at levels that wouldn’t be sustainable over 4G.

The project is due to complete in September 2022. Significant work has already been undertaken at the Three lab to test the 5G network against these use cases. Increasing traffic will now utilise the network and prove its capabilities to simultaneously manage the two use-cases and to support the business- critical activities of the port.