As Germany’s largest seaport and Europe’s third-largest container port, the Port of Hamburg is a key hub for international trade. At the Container Terminal Altenwerder (CTA) operated by Hamburger Hafen und Logistik AG (HHLA), Deutsche Telekom, together with Ericsson, has deployed a high-performance private 5G campus network.
Covering an area of one square kilometer, the network provides state-of-the-art mobile connectivity and supports critical logistics processes as well as real-time applications. At the same time, it serves as a digital test environment for innovative port solutions, enabling new technologies to be tested under real operating conditions and further developed in a targeted manner.
“With the private 5G campus network at the Container Terminal Altenwerder, we are taking the digitalization of port logistics to the next level together with HHLA. This solution demonstrates how advanced mobile communications technology can make complex processes more efficient, transparent, and flexible,” said Klaus Werner, managing director business customers, Telekom Deutschland.
“With the 5G campus network, we now have a high-performance and reliable wireless infrastructure that enables us to test new applications under realistic conditions and deploy them directly into operations. At the same time, it allows us and our partners to develop and validate innovative solutions in a real terminal environment. This marks an important step in advancing the connectivity and automation of the CTA,” said Michael Albers, HHLA IT project manager.
High-performance infrastructure for demanding logistics processes
The 5G campus network at CTA has been specifically designed to meet the requirements of a highly automated container terminal. It connects vehicles, sensors, mobile devices, and IT systems in real time. Based on Ericsson’s Private 5G solution, the network architecture ensures stable, high-performance communications even under heavy network load. At the same time, the network is highly scalable and can be expanded to meet future operational requirements.
Federal funding for digital port innovation
The ‘PROCON-5G’ project is one of several initiatives funded under the ‘Digital Test Fields in Ports’ funding program. Through this initiative, the German Federal Ministry for Digital and Transport (BMDV), based on a resolution of the German Bundestag, supports the expansion of digital infrastructure in Germany’s seaports and inland ports. The objective is to establish digital test environments for the development and validation of innovative technologies and applications. TÜV Rheinland serves as the project management agency for the funding program.
