Johannesburg, 11 Oct 2024
As ports and shipping undergo digital transformation, the success of their modernisation efforts will depend on having appropriate, reliable, layered communications networks in place.
This is according to Darren Morgan, COO at Comsol, who says ports around the world are fast-tracking digitisation for greater efficiency, safety and cost savings, and to align with requirements such as the International Maritime Organization’s mandatory ‘Maritime Single Window’ harmonised standards for sharing and exchanging vital data between ships and ports.
“Automation, analytics and visibility across the environment are becoming crucial for every stakeholder in the supply chain,” he says. “Last year’s severe port congestion in Durban impacted supply chains and caused financial losses for businesses, again underlining how important it is for ports to modernise and operate as efficiently as possible.”
Morgan notes that most ports – and businesses operating from South African ports – are moving to become smarter organisations; however, their efforts could be hampered by communications networks that are not suited to the variety of requirements ports have.
“Many still use traditional wireless networks or consumer grade 5G networks. These come with drawbacks such as latency and a lack of range and scalability. Using just one technology and a one-size-fits-all blanket approach isn’t appropriate in port environments, since these networks may need to support a variety of use cases – from IOT networks to autonomous cranes and equipment, and radio communications with ships at sea,” Morgan says.
“Private 5G is ideal for remote cranes and surveillance cameras that require low latency, for example. But it might not be the best fit for another application,” he says. “You can't make one technology meet every requirement in environments like these. In addition to the risk of over- or under-speccing, you may also find that the network is engineered inefficiently, which means you need more hardware and drive up costs.
“Ports have many moving parts, and connecting thousands of devices and applications requires careful planning and design to optimise costs and ensure every system is supported reliably,” he says.
Morgan says ports should take a layered approach to connectivity, to address all the use cases. “You likely need layers, including licensed private 5G, WiFi and fibre. For example, a combination of Comsol CX Premium – a carrier-grade offering harnessing the high-quality 28GHz spectrum, and Comsol Licensed Private 5G Fixed Wireless Access. Comsol Licensed Private 5G differs from consumer grade 5G in that Comsol owns large tranches of spectrum, available only to enterprises," he says. "It delivers high speed, low latency and superior reliability, backed by tailored SLAs.”
Licensed Private 5G Fixed Wireless Access delivers the robust, low-latency connectivity that is essential for real-time data collection and transmission across port operations. This empowers port operators to monitor the movement of goods, vehicles and vessels in real-time, enabling better decision-making, faster responses to delays and optimised resource allocation. From crane operations to cargo tracking, real-time data ensures smoother workflows and higher efficiency.
It also supports IOT deployments for safety, security and smarter logistics, such as sensor deployments for tracking cargo containers, monitoring port equipment and detecting environmental conditions like weather patterns.
Comsol’s fixed internet connectivity solutions, connecting ports into the cloud, and connecting to applications and over-the-top services, ensure high-quality, secure communications, reduce bottlenecks and improve the flow of information between stakeholders. This improved communication enables better co-ordination of arrivals, departures, cargo handling and customs processing, ensuring that ports operate as integrated hubs for global trade.
Morgan adds: “Ports need tailored, turnkey and enterprise-grade solutions with the necessary support agreements: it’s no good having a fantastic pipe in when the distributed comms is poor and SLAs don’t offer guaranteed performance and uptime.”
He says it is also important for ports to simplify network management. “To manage an ecosystem with multiple layers and systems in place has become simpler. Modern back-end solutions are slick, and it's becoming easy to manage all the elements of a complex network,” he says.
”Because ports are complex environments and dynamic in nature, they need experienced connectivity partners that understand the challenges and have the experience deploying and maintaining mission-critical comms,” Morgan says.
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