Nokia deploys private wireless network for Husky Terminal at Port of Tacoma

Nokia has deployed a private wireless network for US terminal operator, Husky Terminal and Stevedoring, at the US Port of Tacoma. The deployment allows the operator to concentrate on reinventing marine freight operations using innovative digital technologies, the Finnish firm said on Thursday.

The private 4.9G/LTE wireless network will support Husky Terminal’s upgrade to a cloud-based terminal operating system (TOS), allowing it 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.

Commenting on this development, David de Lancelloti, VP, Enterprise Campus Edge Business at Nokia, said, "Industrial-grade Nokia Private Wireless networks are the cornerstone of the digital transformation journey at ports. 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 digitalization platform will be critical as Husky Terminal evolves its modernization plans at the Port of Tacoma."

With this deployment, the company is now supported by robust, resilient, and secure low latency connectivity across its expansive 115+ acre container yard. This has been achieved while reducing the hardware footprint by an astounding 91 percent.

"The deployment of Nokia private LTE was a significant milestone for us at the Port of Tacoma and has exceeded our expectations. 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," said Philip Styf, Director of IT, Husky Terminal.