4 01732 759725 NEWSNokia and Verizon to 5G-enable Thames Freeport Nokia and Verizon are collaborating on the transformation of Thames Freeport, one of 22 designated Industrial Strategy Zones, into the UK’s first private 5G-enabled trade zone. Together, they will deploy Nokia’s Digital Automation Cloud platform and MX Industrial Edge solution and multiple Verizon Private 5G Networks across three UK logistics hubs (DP World London Gateway & DP World Logistics Park, Ford Dagenham and the Port of Tilbury). The multisite digital infrastructure project will enable Thames Freeport to enhance port operations with advanced technology layers such as AI, edge computing and IoT as part of its objective to regenerate the River Thames Estuary and create 5,000 highly skilled jobs by 2030. Examples of possible 5G-enabled applications include leveraging IoT for autonomous yard tractors and quay cranes and for tracking, routing and monitoring cargo so that tenants can take in cargo, assess quantity and condition and ship it out faster and more efficiently, losing less to damage or misplacement. Edge-connected smart sensors and AI-driven analytics could be used to optimise port operations and asset performance, and monitor emissions, air and water quality and noise levels. David de Lancellotti, VP of Enterprise Campus Edge Sales at Nokia, said: “Private wireless and industrial edge are the foundations for the digital transformation of industrial sites, and the Thames Freeport deployment is a landmark example of this evolution at scale. This network will allow Thames Freeport to overlay advanced use cases such as AI-driven data analytics, predictive maintenance, process automation, autonomous vehicle control, safety monitoring and real-time logistics orchestration.” Data sovereignty concerns driving workload repatriation Over half of UK IT leaders currently using public or hybrid models plan to move away from US cloud providers due to mounting concerns around data sovereignty and jurisdiction, claims UK-based colocation data centre provider Asanti. In its survey of 100 senior IT decision-makers, 52% said they’re taking strategic steps to reduce their organisation’s exposure to US cloud providers. In addition, 45% of those currently using US public cloud platforms confirmed that they plan to limit their data’s exposure to US jurisdiction. These findings follow another Asanti survey, conducted last October, showing that 91% of organisations are in the process of bringing at least some applications from the public cloud back onpremises or into colocation facilities. Reasons for doing so include high recurring costs for certain workloads in public cloud (41%); limited control and customisation (39%); security, NEWS Network Rail signals upgrade to rail network telecoms infrastructure Millions of rail passengers can look forward to improved mobile connectivity along major rail arteries, as Network Rail, Neos Networks and Freshwave join forces to implement the biggest upgrade to Britain’s rail telecoms infrastructure in decades. As well as boosting 4G/5G connectivity on trains and in stations and tackling signal blackspots in tunnels, Project Reach will deploy 1,000 kilometres of ultrafast, high-count fibre optic cable along major routes, with a longer-term ambition to increase the trackside network to more than 5,000km. Forming the basis of a new highcapacity telecoms infrastructure for Great British Railway and facilitating the rollout of technologies that rely on good connectivity, such as trackside sensors and CCTV applications, the new network will use a 432 count core cable, compared to the railway’s current 24 and 48 count fibre optic cable system (like that found in the ground in residential streets). This massive increase in network capacity meets Network Rail’s needs and creates a digital backbone for businesses needing connectivity to data centres and high-performance edge facilities. Network Rail will use half the new capacity for its purposes, with B2B telecoms provider Neos Networks commercialising the other half. Neos Networks CEO Lee Myall said: “Connectivity has become the cornerstone of innovation. The increasing demand for data centre capacity and the unprecedented growth in AI-driven data demands are pushing the boundaries of existing infrastructure. Project Reach will support the upgrade of the UK’s connectivity infrastructure, creating new data superhighways that will drive the UK’s digital ambitions forward.” Trackside fibre will initially be deployed along parts of the East Coast Main Line, the Chiltern Main Line/West Coast Main Line and the Great Western Main Line. From next year, mobile connectivity specialist Freshwave, working closely with mobile network operators (MNOs), will begin deploying mobile infrastructure to tackle signal blackspots in 57 tunnels and associated deep cuttings along the East Coast Main Line, the West Coast Main Line and the Great Western Main Line, including the 4km Chipping Sodbury tunnel near Bristol and Gasworks and Copenhagen tunnels outside King’s Cross. It will also invest in new 4G/5G infrastructure at 12 Network Rail mainline stations, enabling MNOs to provide enhanced coverage at Birmingham New St, Bristol Temple Meads, Edinburgh Waverley, Euston, Glasgow Central, King’s Cross, Leeds, Liverpool Lime Street, Liverpool Street, Manchester Piccadilly, Paddington and Waterloo. freshwavegroup.com Source: Getty Images
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