- Ericsson said its private 5G deployment at the port of Tyne is delivering 'operational gains'
- SNS Telecom said that the port is one of Ericsson's largest private 5G deployments
- The port is already using AI in its private network applications
The Port of Tyne, near the city of Newcastle, is reporting strong operational gains after over a year of operating Ericsson’s private 5G at one of the United Kingdom’s largest deep-sea gateways.
Using Ericsson private 5G and LTE radios and core infrastructure, deployed across multiple sites by system integrator Projex Cellular Infrastructure UK, which also acquired the spectrum licenses from BT for the deployment. SNS Telecom & IT said that the port deployment used BT's licensed Band n78 (3.5-3.6 GHz) spectrum and shared access licenses in Band n77 (3.8-4.2 GHz) for 5G NR access, and BT's licensed Band 7 (2.6 GHz) spectrum for LTE access.
“As per our database, this network has been operational since 2023, although we've seen additional shared access spectrum licenses allocated for the premises in 2024 (6 new) and 2025 (3 new),” SNS Telecom’s 5G research director, Asad Khan, told Fierce. “The licenses collectively cover 19 outdoor sites.”
Down at the dock
Over the past year, Ericsson said, the network has supported a wide range of uses, including live container scanning, PPE (personal protective equipment) monitoring, restricted-area detection, road-condition analysis, emission monitoring, and high-security access control using video and sensors. Vehicle-mounted cameras, that are connected to an AI engine, helped teams identify road defects before they grow larger.
Drones are used for stock control and infrastructure inspection. The port is also working with Caterpillar to connect the CatCommand system, enabling remote-controlled shovels that reduce the need for workers to enter hazardous ship holds.
Ericsson’s port plays
“[The port of Tyne] is one of Ericsson's largest projects in the sector,” noted SNS’s Khan. “Some of the other port facilities hosting Ericsson-supplied private networks include the Port of Virginia, Holt Logistics at the Port of Philadelphia, GCT Deltaport Container Terminal in British Columbia, Belfast Harbour, Stockholm Norvik Port, Port of Livorno, Rotterdam World Gateway, and ports in Panama and Malaysia. There's also a hybrid public-private network deployment at the Tuas Mega Port in Singapore.”
Nokia has also won similar private 5G port deals in Britain this year - with U.S. operator Verizon! - at the large Thames Freeport industrial cluster. Despite seeming to back away from any private networking that wasn’t “mission critical”, in the words of Nokia’s CEO Justin Rotard, in November, 2025.
“Nokia would be interested as long as the channel partner or service provider manages the bulk of the integration work,” SNS’s Khan said.
As Fierce has noted before, although Nokia may be narrowing its private network focus, it will still be a dominant force.