Can ports change the world – again?
Connectivity requirements, small cells and private networks
This document is the first in a series of requirements reports that will inform the development of technical blueprints to speed the delivery of robust cellular connectivity for seaports.
The document sets out a framework of connectivity requirements from 12 European ports and ports organizations, including commercial drivers and perceived challenges to digital transformation. It brings together inputs from senior port representatives, summarizing commercial ambitions and operational imperatives, development plans, tenant connectivity requirements and examples of digital projects and private network trials already underway.
This new document builds on SCF235 Private networks and small cells. This earlier document concluded that private networking technology is a significant opportunity for service providers and their enterprise customers, enabling new business models and tailored services. It also described how many larger ports were already benefiting from private cellular networks with small cells and the 5G technologies currently in trials.
SCF’s initiative now is to develop connectivity blueprints to avoid reinventing the wheel for every port, cutting the costs of deployments and establishing a scalable model that addresses the baseline cellular connectivity requirements for ports of all sizes.
Can ports change the world – again?
Some observers of seaports believe that the next big change will be digital transformation of the sector. However, this is a complex evolution, involving everything from autonomous cranes to tracking of goods via IoT; from onsite security to onsite communications between staff. And not everyone has a clear vision of how it will happen or what it will involve.
