Verizon Business to build new 5G private network at Port of Virginia

Verizon said the new private 5G network will cover 270 acres of the NIT campus with dedicated Ultra Wideband spectrum

Verizon Business and the Norfolk International Terminal (NIT) announced an agreement to build a Verizon private 5G network at their Virginia facility, the former said in a release.

This deployment follows the successful deployment of a private 5G network at the neighboring Virginia International Terminal (VIT), another Port of Virginia property.

The private 5G network will cover 270 acres of the NIT campus with dedicated spectrum, replacing outdoor Wi-Fi technology and enabling secure voice, text and data communication within the campus through Verizon Push to Talk Plus (PTT), which is is a mobile app for industrial and commercial worksite collaboration across phones, smartphones and tablets, Verizon said.

Verizon Business also noted that the new deployment will enable NIT to meet the throughput, reliability and latency thresholds necessary for uses like drones for safety and surveillance, autonomous trucks and mobile cranes and cost reduction from reduced downtime and improved operational efficiency.

“The expansion of Verizon’s private 5G presence at the Port of Virginia shows that companies can modernize and improve their operations by starting small with new technology, proving out the use cases and applications that are right for their business, and then scaling up to do even more,” said Kyle Malady, CEO of Verizon Business. “The Port of Virginia, through the private 5G journeys at VIT and NIT, epitomize how to adopt cutting edge technology to transform a business efficiently and productively.”

“Our work with Verizon Business has been a true partnership in both building applications and deploying solutions to best address our unique needs,” said Rich Ceci, SVP of technology and products at NIT/Port of Virginia. “Shipping terminals are rugged, constantly changing outdoor environments that require super reliable, ubiquitous connectivity for safe and adaptable operation. Verizon Private 5G provides that and gives us flexibility to scale up and layer on more capability as our needs evolve.”

Verizon Business said that Swedish vendor Ericsson will be the sole product vendor to Verizon for the deployment of the private 5G network at NIT.

NIT has an annual throughput of 2.2 million TEUs and, with direct access to rail and interstate systems, is one of the United States’ largest commercial shipping hubs. The terminal is currently undergoing several optimization programs to build upon its semi-automation capabilities and is creating capacity for additional freight, according to Verizon.

In a recent blog, Ericsson said that the private 5G network deployed at VIT will enable the terminal to start operating autonomous trucks at the site from early next year.

Last year, Verizon had partnered with Nokia and Associated British Ports (ABP) to deploy private 5G at the port of Southampton, one of the 21 ports operated by ABP. The deal saw the port of Southampton become the first U.K. mainland port with access to a private 5G network.

The Verizon private 5G platform provides ABP with a secure private wireless data network across selected areas within the East and West Docks of the Port, enabling data communications to be consolidated onto a single network, Verizon said.