Verizon Business Completes 5G Private Network Deployment at Five Thames Freeport Sites in the UK

en.Wedoany.com Reported - On November 11, Verizon Business announced the completion of a multi-site 5G private network platform deployment at Thames Freeport in the UK, with network coverage across five port, logistics and manufacturing sites, including DP World's London Gateway port and logistics park, Ford's Dagenham plant, and two operational locations at the Port of Tilbury. Each site uses an independent network core to separately manage its own data and communications operations. The platform has now been fully deployed, and the networks at the vast majority of sites are already in service.

The network uses Nokia's Enterprise Campus Edge solution, integrating the Nokia Digital Automation Cloud platform and industrial edge computing systems. Unlike architectures in which multiple sites share a single network core, each tenant has its own independent network core, retaining its own data management authority while connecting to shared communications infrastructure.

Application priorities differ across sites. At London Gateway port and logistics park, the private network primarily serves container tracking, video analytics, vehicle dispatch and terminal automation; Ford's Dagenham plant can use the network to connect production equipment, robots and machine vision systems; and the Port of Tilbury focuses on cargo operations, on-site personnel communications, equipment monitoring and operational safety.

With the network deployment complete, Thames Freeport is advancing application validation through its Connectivity Innovation Lab. Nine previous trials covered vehicle damage identification, truck entry and exit dispatch, on-site personnel communications and digital mapping of container yards. Among them, an AI-based image recognition system has detected vehicle and trailer damage missed by manual inspection during testing; the truck dispatch system can display vehicle movements at port entrances and yards, helping operators identify queuing and traffic bottlenecks.

In the next phase, the Innovation Lab will expand testing to port and logistics operations, focusing on digital twin simulation, intelligent facility inspection, predictive equipment maintenance and environmental monitoring. The related pilots are scheduled to launch in mid-November 2026, and the test results will be used to assess whether these technologies can transition from trial environments into daily production operations.