THE NETWORK covers port and logistics locations across the Freeport as well as Ford’s Dagenham plant. Each tenant runs on an independent network core for full data sovereignty, with Nokia supplying the hardware and software, including its Digital Automation Cloud platform.

At DP World London Gateway and London Gateway Logistics Park, the platform supports connected terminal operations, asset tracking and automation readiness. At the Port of Tilbury’s two sites, use cases include cargo operations support and site monitoring.

Initial trials at the Freeport’s Connectivity Innovation Lab include AI-based vehicle damage detection, which picked up damage to vehicles and trailers that manual inspections had missed. A digital truck processing trial gave real-time visibility of truck movements and showed where queues build at the gates when an incident slows access. A digital map of the container yard, showing the location, age and planned movements of containers, is in progress.

A second phase of trials will look at logistics use cases such as digital twin scenario planning and predictive maintenance on plant and mobile equipment.

Tom White, innovation and skills director at Thames Freeport, said: “This deployment gives our key sites a platform to innovate together while continuing to meet the realities of live industrial operations.”

Robb Juliano, vice president of 5G acceleration at Verizon Business, added: “The implementation at Thames Freeport is a perfect reference point for the versatility and scalability of private 5G across complex industrial sites.”