EUROGATE has commissioned Deutsche Telekom to implement three 5G campus networks. At ports in Hamburg, Bremerhaven and Wilhelmshaven, the 5G business customer solution “Campus Network L” will improve mobile coverage at container terminals. This will enable container terminal operator to deploy digital logistics applications even more securely and flexibly in the future with bandwidth, high availability and full 5G performance.
To this end, EUROGATE will use its own 5G industrial frequencies in 3.7 to 3.8 gigahertz (GHz) range for critical data traffic in addition to Telekom’s public mobile network, for example, for further digitisation of handling processes or closer networking of handling equipment with control and process control systems. The project has now been launched at a kick-off event at the Port of Hamburg.
The “Port-As-A-Service” project is funded by the German Federal Ministry of Digital Affairs and Transport (BMDV) as part of the “Digital Test Fields in Ports” funding directive. Here, the establishment of digital test fields in ports is supported in order to create real test spaces for creations in the field of Logistics 4.0.
The realisation of 5G campus networks together with other digital infrastructure measures at EUROGATE with a project volume of EUR 3.7 million is being funded with EUR 2.9 million under funding guidelines and is being supported by TUV Rheinland as project sponsor of funding guideline. The aim of “Port-As-A-Service” is to exploit opportunities for digitalisation for German seaports and to optimise investments in infrastructures. For EUROGATE, the opportunities here include:
- Networking of control and process control systems
- Automation of container handling through the use of automated and autonomous port handling equipment
- Support of container arrival and delivery by autonomous trucks
- Connecting industrial port handling IIOT (industrial internet of things) equipment to the cloud and using data as part of a 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. 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 “. says Michael Blach, chairman of EUROGATE Group Management Board.
Light poles become 5G antenna carriers
Telekom’s campus networks will cover a total area of 5.6 million square metres at three container terminals with recent mobile communications standards. This corresponds to the size of around 785 soccer fields. On one hand, existing mobile communications systems will be expanded on site. Secondly, Telekom is installing three additional 5G radio sites at each of the terminal sites in Bremerhaven (2.9 million square meters) and Hamburg (1.4 million square meters) and two in Wilhelmshaven (1.3 million square meters). The special feature here is that no poles are being erected, but existing light poles are being used as supports for 5G antennas. The deployment of three 5G campus networks will be completed 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 optimise logistics processes and drive the digital transformation of port terminals. 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.” says Hagen Rickmann, managing director of the Business Customers division of Telekom Deutschland GmbH.
Own 5G frequencies for EUROGATE
Telekom will equip each of the port terminals with a dual-slice campus network. One of Telekom’s public 5G networks will serve employees, external service providers, suppliers and customers, for example. The additional purely private 5G network is operated in local 5G industrial spectrum in the 3.7 to 3.8 GHz range. Unlike Telekom’s public 3.6 GHz spectrum, this is 5G spectrum made available for industry by the Federal Network Agency. It provides committed network resources for EUROGATE’s internal data traffic. Data runs over this part of network separately and completely unaffected by public 5G data traffic. This means that EUROGATE basically has two 5G frequency bands and a total of around 190 MHz of bandwidth at its disposal.
New technical solution: high security and short paths for data
In project, Telekom will deploy network architecture initially as part of 5G business customer solution “Campus-Netz L”. This means that EUROGATE will benefit from lower infrastructure costs and greater technical flexibility at same time through use of a virtualised and dedicated campus core network. This network architecture enables a so-called CUPS (control and user plane separation) solution. It combines a central 5G core network within Telekom network with a local user gateway for customer. This means that 5G campus network is managed centrally by Telekom, but customer’s own data remains on-site on its own campus. This provides EUROGATE with maximum security without need to additionally invest in its own complete core network. The local user gateway also ensures low latencies. This is because data takes direct route from end device via private network to customer’s IT (information technology).
High availability 5G data traffic
5G Campus solution enables EUROGATE to use SIM (subscriber identity module) cards with unlimited data flat rates for networked devices. These guarantee maximum private 5G network performance with speeds of up to 1.5 GBit/s download per end device. The customer precise SIM cards can be administered by EUROGATE via a self service portal for example for allocation of authorisations or for prioritising selected data within private 5G network.
Furthermore, EUROGATE benefits from service level agreements at the highest level including fixed contact persons and a 24/7 hotline of Telekom. All local network components, including user gateway, are also redundant. This ensures continuous availability and security of network.
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