Hrvatski Telekom (HT) has this week equipped a container port in Rijeka, Croatia, with a 5G network.
The telco said it was selected by port operating company Rijeka Gateway (APM Terminals), a company founded by A.P. Moller-Maersk and the ENNA Group, to develop and manage the network at the terminal in Rijeka.
Operations at the terminal are set to start next year.
Deutsche Telekom-owned HT said that APM Terminals will test this new operating model in Rijeka, and will migrate from 5G Non-Standalone (5G NSA) architecture to 5G Standalone (5G SA), enabling dedicated network slicing for industrial applications.
5G SA is not reliant on older mobile generations and solely uses a 5G core network.
The service increases network capacity, cuts latency, and can connect to an increased amount of connected devices.
Network slicing allows telcos, such as HT, to create separate and isolated networks for different use cases, while the slice can be configured differently.
"This project demonstrates Rijeka Gateway's confidence in our ability to provide a high availability service for flawless 24/7 port operations. It confirms our strategy in providing business-critical communication through our public mobile network," said Marijana Bačić, a management board member and chief operating officer for Business at Hrvatski Telekom.
Peter Corfitsen, CEO of Rijeka Gateway, claims the terminal in Rijeka "will be the only terminal in this part of Europe with remotely operated cranes."
"In Rijeka, we are developing one of the most technologically advanced terminals. From the beginning of designing the terminal, we defined the goal of minimizing the terminal's impact on the environment and the local community," he said. "Almost all equipment will be electric, and we are installing very advanced energy optimization and overall terminal management systems."
Back in November 2021, APM Terminals (51 percent) and Enna Logic (49 percent) signed a concession agreement to design, construct, and operate a state-of-the-art container terminal, Rijeka Gateway, on Croatia's North Adriatic coast.
The Rijeka Gateway is being developed in two phases, with phase one due for completion next year.
Total investments in Croatia by Maersk, Enna Logic, and Rijeka Gateway are expected to be more than €480 million ($521m) by 2026.
Hrvatski was founded on December 1998 after the separation of the Croatian Post and Telecommunications into two entities: Croatian Post and Hrvatski Telekom (aka Croatian Telecom). Deutsche Telekom acquired a majority stake in Hrvatski in 2001.
