The Hamburg Port Authority, in partnership with Deutsche Telekom and Nokia, has completed a series of 5G connectivity trials.
The Port of Hamburg 5G trial was conducted between January 2018 and June 2019 as part of the EU’s 5G Mobile Network Architecture (5G-MoNArch) research and testing project. Trials were conducted with a focus on ‘Network Slicing’, the concept of running multiple virtual networks – or ‘slices’ – with disparate characteristics on a common infrastructure; for example through the implementation of an emergency priority circuit enabling emergency services to operate during a storm surge.
Hendrik Roreger, Project Manager at the Hamburg Port Authority, said: “Thanks to the experience gained, we now have a clear technological advantage in the Port of Hamburg. When 5G officially starts, we would be ready to implement even complex applications here.”
The Port of Hamburg 5G testbed covered three use cases, operating with differing network requirements:
- Ships trialled the installation of sensors enabling monitoring and analysis of the ships’ motion in real time, as well as collating environmental data from the sea around the port;
- The Hamburg Port Authority’s Port Road Management Centre tested a traffic light connected to the 5G mobile network, allowing operators at the centre to control the flow of traffic remotely in order to optimise the safety and journey time of vehicles travelling around the port area; and
- A trial was conducted transmitting 3D data to an augmented reality application: maintenance teams on site were able to use 3D glasses to retrieve relevant data to their projects or to source remote input from experts.
The trials demonstrated that 5G connectivity throughout the port could enable the deployment of multiple complex industrial applications across a single connected infrastructure; and further Port of Hamburg 5G trial initiatives are in the planning stage. Germany is expected to see an initial commercial launch of 5G technology by 2020, with 90% of the country projected to be connected to 5G networks by 2025.
