Enhancing Port Logistics: EUROGATE and Deutsche Telekom Collaborate on Innovative 5G Campus Networks

Light poles on the terminal site are used as 5G antenna masts. © Deutsche Telekom

(IN BRIEF) EUROGATE, a major container terminal operator in Europe, has joined forces with Deutsche Telekom to establish three advanced 5G campus networks at key ports. This collaboration aims to digitally transform port logistics operations by improving mobile coverage and enabling secure and flexible deployment of digital logistics applications. The project, funded under the “Port-As-A-Service” initiative by the German Federal Ministry of Digital Affairs and Transport, is set to enhance networking, automation, and data utilization at EUROGATE’s terminals in Hamburg, Bremerhaven, and Wilhelmshaven. The use of dedicated 5G frequencies and a unique network architecture is expected to significantly optimize container handling processes and propel port operations into the digital age.

(PRESS RELEASE) BONN, 28-Aug-2023 — /EuropaWire/ —  Deutsche Telekom (ETR: DTE), one of the world’s leading integrated telecommunications companies and the largest telecommunications provider in Europe by revenue, announces partnership with leading container terminal operator EUROGATE to establish three cutting-edge 5G campus networks, in a significant move towards digitizing port logistics. This innovative collaboration brings advanced connectivity solutions to ports in Hamburg, Bremerhaven, and Wilhelmshaven. The deployment of the 5G business solution, dubbed “Campus network L,” is set to revolutionize container terminal operations by enhancing mobile coverage at these ports. The tailored networks will empower EUROGATE to seamlessly integrate digital logistics applications with enhanced security, flexibility, and full 5G capabilities.

These 5G campus networks are built on EUROGATE’s dedicated 5G industrial frequencies within the 3.7 to 3.8 gigahertz (GHz) range, supplementing Telekom’s public mobile network. This unique configuration serves critical data traffic, advancing endeavors such as digitizing handling processes and optimizing equipment-network interconnectivity.

The project launch took place at a kick-off event at the Port of Hamburg, marking the inception of a collaboration that stands to revolutionize port logistics. This project, coined “Port-As-A-Service,” is part of the “Digital Test Fields in Ports” initiative, supported by the German Federal Ministry of Digital Affairs and Transport (BMDV). With a total investment of EUR 3.7 million, the venture is backed by funding of EUR 2.9 million under the “Port-As-A-Service” directive. TÜV Rheinland, the project sponsor, lends its support to this transformational endeavor.

The overarching aim of “Port-As-A-Service” is to harness digitalization’s potential for German seaports, fueling innovative solutions across various aspects of port operations. EUROGATE aims to leverage this initiative to:

• Facilitate seamless networking of control and process control systems
• Integrate automation into container handling using autonomous port equipment
• Enable autonomous truck-assisted container arrivals and departures
• Establish a cloud-connected digital twin of a container terminal

„An efficient and reliable technical infrastructure is the basis for making container handling at our terminals even more efficient and securing our competitiveness in the long term,” says Michael Blach, Chairman of the EUROGATE Group Management Board. “Deutsche Telekom’s 5G Campus networks will provide us with the best conditions for further automating our processes and testing innovative logistics solutions based on 5G “.

Telekom’s 5G campus networks will span 5.6 million square meters across the three terminals, utilizing both existing mobile communications infrastructure and new 5G radio sites installed on existing light poles. The networks are projected to be operational by spring 2024.

“The 5G coverage of EUROGATE’s container terminals is one of our largest campus network projects to date. It will enable EUROGATE to leverage the full potential of 5G to further optimize logistics processes and drive the digital transformation of port terminals,” said Hagen Rickmann, Managing Director in the Business Customers division of Telekom Deutschland GmbH. “In addition to high-performance 5G connectivity and exclusive bandwidth, the network architecture of the three campus networks will offer a particularly high level of control over critical data traffic on the terminal site in the future.”

These networks entail a dual-slice configuration, offering a public 5G network for employees, service providers, suppliers, and customers, alongside a private 5G network operating in the dedicated industrial spectrum. This customized approach ensures high security, reliability, and exceptional bandwidth for EUROGATE’s internal data traffic.

Through this strategic partnership, EUROGATE is poised to lead the way in optimizing port logistics, embracing the transformative potential of 5G connectivity to reshape the future of container terminal operations.

About Deutsche Telekom: Deutsche Telekom Group profile

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SOURCE: Deutsche Telekom AG