Nokia has deployed a private LTE network for US port operator Husky Terminal and Stevedoring, based at the Port of Tacoma in Washington, in the northwest of the US. The new network, running in CBRS spectrum, covers around 115 acres, including all of the container yard; Nokia said coverage across the entire site has been achieved with six antennas in four locations – compared to 39 access points to achieve the same coverage range with Wi-Fi.
Husky Terminal stated: “Regular disconnections and packet loss that we experienced over Wi-Fi, that created downtime and impacted productivity, are now a thing of the past.”
The Finnish firm said the cellular network footprint uses 91 percent less hardware than with Wi-Fi, including a reduction in fibre cabling required to backhaul the radios – “as well as other operational costs”. The project is part of Husky Terminal and Stevedoring’s move to upgrade to a cloud-based terminal operating system (TOS), in order to manage and coordinate terminal operations from anywhere.
It is using Nokia’s Digital Automation Cloud (DAC) solution for the task. A statement said the cellular upgrade has “removed the reliability and capacity issues that the company had previously experienced using traditional Wi-Fi with its previous TOS”. So far, 40 yard trucks have been connected to the network. “Husky Terminal can monitor them to aid worker activities,” said the statement. It said the operator is “now investigating” further LTE-based use cases.
Philip Styf, director of IT at Husky Terminal, said: “The deployment… was a significant milestone… and has exceeded our expectations. The regular disconnections and packet loss that we experienced over Wi-Fi, that created downtime and impacted productivity, are now a thing of the past. With reliability no longer a concern, we’ve moved from firefighting mode to focusing on the strategic use cases that will further enhance operations.”
David de Lancelloti, vice president of enterprise campus edge business at Nokia, said: “Industrial-grade… private wireless [is] the cornerstone of the digital transformation journey at ports. We worked in close collaboration… to design and deliver a private LTE network that satisfied the need for robust reliable connectivity. The… DAC digitalization platform will be critical as Husky Terminal evolves its modernization plans at the Port of Tacoma.”
A footnote in the press statement said Nokia has deployed “mission-critical networks” for around 2,600 enterprise customers in the transportation, energy, manufacturing, and public sector segments around the globe. “We have also extended our expertise to more than 635 private wireless customers worldwide,” it said.
