Telia, Konecranes Enable 5G Benefits for Ports

Telia and port services provider Konecranes have launched a joint pilot to test and develop solutions for automated port operations utilizing 5G.

A modern port is a key node in a precision-tuned logistics chain. To increase efficiency and safety, Telia and Konecranes in Finland are testing optimizing port operations with 5G technology and analytics.

“With Konecranes, we reviewed how we could utilize the opportunities of 5G and data analytics as part of their innovation efforts. We opted for a video analytics project that would be implemented with a broad base of partners. At this stage, it has been tested in a shipping container port environment,” says Telia project manager Markus Heikkilä.

In the pilot, a forklift truck was equipped with a 360° video camera that relays image over a 5G network for the video analysis engine to analyze. The low latency and massive capacity of the 5G technologies enable the system to transfer high-resolution video image from a mobile machine to the cloud service. Thanks to the real-time implementation, the forklift truck itself will see the obstacles that the driver misses.

The pilot project was launched to develop the port of the future, where autonomous vehicles and machinery operate in a safe, reliable and efficient way to manage the logistics that people, businesses and society depend on every day.

The efficiency and safety benefits of the video analytics service are promising, and the successful pilot results are boosting development of future customer solutions.