Nokia has announced it has deployed a private wireless network for Husky Terminal & Stevedoring, a terminal operator and stevedoring company based at the US Port of Tacoma, Washington. The deployment of secure, low-latency private wireless connectivity allows Husky Terminal to concentrate on reinventing marine freight operations using innovative digital technologies to exceed customer expectations.

Nokia deployed the private 4.9G/LTE wireless network to support Husky Terminal’s upgrade to a cloud-based terminal operating system (TOS), allowing the company to manage and coordinate terminal operations from anywhere. The network, which leverages Nokia Digital Automation Cloud (DAC), has removed the reliability and capacity issues that the company had previously experienced using traditional Wi-Fi with its previous TOS. Husky Terminal is now supported by robust, resilient and secure low-latency connectivity across its 46+ ha container yard, which has been achieved in a network footprint using 91% less hardware.

Coverage was enabled through the deployment of six 4.9G/LTE antennas in four access point locations, compared to the 39 Wi-Fi access points required to cover the same area, thereby reducing the amount of fibre required at the site, as well as other operational costs. With over 40 yard trucks now connected, Husky Terminal can monitor them to aid worker activities. It is also now investigating use cases that will leverage private wireless to further enhance operations for its customers and teams.

“The deployment of Nokia private LTE was a significant milestone for us at the Port of Tacoma and has exceeded our expectations,” said Philip Styf, Director of IT at Husky Terminal. “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 for our customers as well as our teams working at the port.”

“Industrial-grade Nokia private wireless networks are the cornerstone of the digital transformation journey at ports,” added David de Lancellotti, VP, Enterprise Campus Edge Business at Nokia. “We worked in close collaboration with Husky Terminal to design and deliver a private 4.9G/LTE network that satisfied their need for robust reliable connectivity. The industrial-grade Nokia DAC digitalisation platform will be critical as Husky Terminal evolves its modernisation plans at the Port of Tacoma.”