Today’s dynamic organizations – among them manufacturers, logistics warehouses, and transportation hubs like airports, seaports and rail yards – increasingly rely on an ever-growing network of connected devices, systems and people to operate successfully. From employee safety systems to robotics, security cameras and autonomous vehicles, connected devices and applications have become critical to business.
Like their counterparts in “carpeted” environments, “uncarpeted” businesses require high-performance networks capable of handling the continual sharing of data, only these types of organizations need reliable connectivity not just indoors, but also outdoors where traditional approaches to connectivity can be problematic. While often adequate in office environments, wired networks used in conjunction with Wi-Fi are difficult to scale and manage across large indoor/outdoor facilities that can include thousands of connected devices, sensors and machines.
Likewise, public wireless networks – including LTE and ultra-fast 5G – can sometimes prove ineffective in many industrial environments where radio frequency (RF) transmissions encounter interference or in isolated rural areas where coverage is not available. Just as importantly, even in locations with optimal LTE or 5G coverage, public networks do not offer the guaranteed bandwidth, security and performance, or the direct control many CIOs and IT leaders demand.
Adam Leventhal, Managing Partner, 5G and mobile edge computing innovation at Verizon Business, points out that today’s increasingly advanced and connected seaports are a good example of the need for new approaches to connectivity. Although they are typically located in major metropolitan areas and industrial parks where public wireless coverage is strong, seaports and terminals present unique challenges that can be best addressed by a private wireless network.
“Today’s advanced ports are some of the most connected enterprises,” says Leventhal. “Innovations in automation, from the use of autonomous forklifts to drones and high-definition security cameras, require guaranteed bandwidth. This is crucial, not just to ensure optimal performance, but to enhance workplace safety with applications like proximity sensors on autonomous guided vehicles.”
Leventhal stresses that the dynamic nature of facilities like ports, manufacturing plants and utility facilities, impacts the performance of connected devices, systems and machines.
“The RF transmissions used in the most robust and fastest public cellular networks are often pushed to their limits in areas where endpoints all too often are shielded from the very data transmissions they rely on,” he says. “For example, if you are using a scanner to input inventory from a shipping container deep inside of the hull of a massive freighter, you are asking a public cellular network to penetrate many feet of solid steel. In contrast, a private wireless network, whether it is LTE or 5G, can be designed and configured to deliver optimal performance in even the most demanding environments.”
Importantly, private networks are also engineered for improved cybersecurity.
“With a private 5G network you can control provisioning, determine which devices and applications are prioritized for the best bandwidth at all times, and implement zero trust authentication to minimize the threat surface,” adds Leventhal. “For these reasons and so many more, private wireless networks are quickly becoming the standard for such demanding environments. Just look at the value Verizon is bringing to ports in the US and UK.”
See how ABP made a decision to use their Verizon Private 5G Network to help make the Port of Southampton an efficient, global port.
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