Nokia will deploy a private network at a Jamaican port after the vendor announced a partnership with Kingston Freeport Terminal Limited (KFTL).

In doing so, Nokia will deploy the first private wireless network at its container terminal in a port in the Caribbean.

Nokia said the network will be installed and deployed by its channel partner EGC International.

Established in 2015, KFTL serves as a transshipment port to Central America and the Caribbean. It also serves major markets on the North and South American east coasts and facilitates post-Panama vessels transiting the Panama Canal.

The port has previously adopted technologies including Nokia's DAC (Digital Automation Cloud), and end-to-end wireless private network and industrial digitalization platform, MXIE.

The private network is expected to support KFTL with the demands of modern logistics, improve safety measures, and strengthen overall productivity.

A number of use cases have been touted by Nokia, including critical communications support for the Terminal Operation System (TOS) and other operational systems and applications, connectivity for more than 100 VMTs (Vehicle Mounted Terminals), cranes, and trucks, plus the deployment of more than 100 tablets and 260 devices (push-to-talk over LTE) for staff.

Up to 1,300 devices will be connected in the near future, while remote operations and real-time monitoring of terminal equipment will be enabled.

"We are very pleased to collaborate with KFTL to increase its regional competitiveness," said Marcelo Entreconti, director of Nokia Enterprise for Latin America.

"Nokia solutions are key enablers for terminal productivity, efficiency and safety, and security operational improvements. As the first private wireless network project in a Caribbean port, this deployment will benefit KFTL’s digitalization journey.”

It's not clear if the network is based on LTE or 5G, though KFTL chief operating officer, Carlos Cabrera, notes that both technologies are a "key component of KFTL's strategy to drive endpoint productivity and security."

In total, Nokia claims to have deployed mission-critical networks to more than 2,600 leading enterprise customers in multiple industries, and boasts more than 635 private wireless customers worldwide spanning a variety of sectors.

Some of these projects include a private 5G network deal with Paris’ metro network, a private LTE contract with The Ocean Cleanup project, plus a private LTE network partnership with Speedcast for a Brazilian energy provider.