Using a 5G Private Network installed by Three UK, the port’s installation has been selected as part of the Government’s 5G Trials and Testbeds Programme to drive investment and innovation in 5G and to support the development of new use cases and commercial deployment.
The £3.4 million project has received £1.6 million from the Government as part of 5G Create, a competition to support innovators exploring new uses for 5G to improve people’s lives and boost British businesses.
Working with its partners Three UK, Cambridge University and Blue Mesh Solutions, along with key subcontractors Ericsson and Siemens, the project will test the potential of 5G across two use cases: enabling remote-controlled cranes via the transmission of CCTV and; deploying Internet of Things sensors and Artificial Intelligence to optimise the predicative maintenance cycle of Felixstowe’s 31 quay-side and 82 yard cranes.
Harnessing the speed, low-latency and high-capacity of 5G, the project will demonstrate the productivity and efficiency gains of such technology, whilst reducing unplanned outage.
Commenting Matt Warman, Minister for Digital Infrastructure said: “We want to unlock 5G’s potential to revolutionise a wide range of UK industries and 5G Ports is just one project the government is backing to achieve this.
“Our ports will be more vital than ever as we forge an ambitious new global trading position for the UK post-Brexit, so I’m eager to see what 5G can do to maximise efficiency at Britain’s biggest and busiest container port in Felixstowe.”
Dr Ajith Parlikad, Reader in Asset Management at Cambridge University, said: “This is a fantastic opportunity to explore how we can bring together the advances in Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT), 5G, and advanced machine learning and artificial intelligence to radically transform the way in which assets are managed and maintained in a complex industrial environment.”
The Port of Felixstowe, together with Hutchison Ports’ Harwich International Port, is part of the Freeport East project team to create a major Freeport centred on the two East coast ports. The 5G trial will help deliver on the Government’s objective for Freeports to act as hotbeds for innovation.
