CentrePort in Wellington is partnering with iwi-owned communications provider Tū Ātea Network Services to establish New Zealand’s first commercial private 5G network at the port.
In a conversation with the NZ Herald, CentrePort chief executive Anthony Delaney said the company “began investigating ways to provide better coverage across the port roughly two years ago.”
“Wi-Fi connectivity was problematic because containers on the port interrupt the signal, acting like a Faraday cage or blocking shield. This disrupts our people’s ability to maintain operations and impedes efficiency,” he added.
“Our investigations across the ports industry internationally indicated that a private 5G network was the way that some other organisations were addressing the same problem.”
Delaney said CentrePort reached out to a number of providers, and Tū Ātea expressed their enthusiasm for the partnership.
“They were our preference in the end as they could offer both the spectrum we needed without having to get our own licence and the 5G network capability we were seeking.”
A dedicated private 5G network is expected to give port workers the connectivity they need for seamless operation across all port activities. The new network will also deliver high-speed connectivity to numerous tablets in vehicles and cranes, facilitating the handling of approximately 4 million tonnes of freight annually.
Tū Ātea will deploy several 5G high-power radio transceivers and antennas on CentrePort’s existing light-pole infrastructure. These will connect via a fibre optic network to Tū Ātea’s advanced Converged Packet Core, which supports both 4G and 5G capabilities.
“It means we can provide 5G network slicing to CentrePort, which is a game changer when it comes to offering dedicated wireless capacity for mission-critical operations,” Antony Royal, Tū Ātea’s chief executive officer said.
“From seaports and airports to manufacturing plants and stadiums, private 5G networks will power Industry 4.0 solutions and underpin innovative new services. We want all New Zealanders to benefit from the pioneering work Tū Ātea is undertaking with customers like CentrePort,” he added.