Orange will implement a 5G network, a pioneer in Europe, in the Port of Barcelona

The Port of Barcelona will be at the forefront of wireless telecommunications in Europe. The Port Authority of Barcelona (APB) has awarded Orange the deployment of a private 5G technology network, pioneering in Spain and the rest of the European continent, which will allow it to "advance five years" ahead of the massive generalization expected of this type of technology.

The project will involve an investment of 3.6 million euros and will be implemented in phases, although the goal is for it to be operational within a year, that is, just before the America's Cup sailing race begins. Orange has won the public tender called by the Port over Telefónica because it presented, according to the APB, "a better proposal both technically and economically." Vodafone also submitted a bid, but its offer was rejected for being submitted out of time.

For the French multinational telecommunications company, this award represents a milestone, as it makes it a spearhead and a benchmark in the sector for the deployment of 5G technology and because it is a pioneering project in Europe that will involve not only the teams of the Spanish subsidiary, but "the entire organization on a global scale," as stated by Víctor Vera, territorial director of Orange's Business area in Catalonia.

"The 5G network that we will develop in alliance with Orange represents a leap in scale; it is an absolutely transcendental project for the future of the Port of Barcelona and that of the more than 500 companies that operate in our concessions," highlighted the president of the APB, Lluís Salvadó. The executive detailed that the contract, for four years extendable to one more, will allow the deployment of an advanced mobile phone network that will cover 100% of the port's terrestrial domain, nearly 1,300 hectares, all the water surface within the breakwaters, and also a distance of up to two nautical miles in open sea.

The particularity of the project that Orange will implement is that it is a private virtual 5G SA network, acronyms that in industry jargon refer to a stand alone network, which is what truly represents a significant advance over the current network, as it allows maximizing the benefits offered by this new mobile phone technology.

Currently, 5G is already used to reinforce the capacity and bandwidth of 4G networks, a modality known as 5G NSA (non standalone). But 5G SA, which Orange calls 5G+, is the real 5G, since, in addition to capacity and bandwidth, it provides two great advantages: ultra-low latency and the ability to connect millions of devices in a square kilometer. "Everything will be able to be connected with a SIM," explained Joaquim Colino, Orange's B2B general director, referring to the fact that continuous and real-time information can be obtained, for example, from each of the containers or from the different movements of goods at the terminals.

"We are the first operator in Spain to launch a commercial 5G SA network. The project with the Port de Barcelona is an excellent example of the new and advanced services that this network can provide in the business and industrial sector," said Colino, after recalling that, until now, Orange had developed about thirty 5G pilots to develop and test the technology.

Orange already has eleven telephone antennas in the Port de Barcelona and this project will involve the installation of three more antennas to offer maritime coverage and ensure that 5G reaches the entire land surface. However, according to Víctor Vera, the antennas are not as relevant as the two data processing centers (DPC) that the operator will launch to exploit this network and obtain useful information and applications from all the data stored. "From 5G, both its features and the intelligence it generates must be taken into account," he explains. One of the DPCs will be located in the port itself, while the other will be located outside the port domain "to guarantee the security and availability of the service at all times."

According to the APB, with the new 5G SA network, the Port of Barcelona will gain reliability and guarantee in its communications, especially in times of congestion and in emergency situations. Secondly, the ultra-low latency will allow automating and connecting the entire port ecosystem and improving operations that require great precision and instantaneity, such as the handling of cranes or certain machinery. Another advantage is that the port will improve its operations thanks to the massive connection of sensors and devices that will monitor the position of ships in real time. Finally, the network also represents a great opportunity for the port's concessionary companies, which will also be able to make a leap in scale in their technological tools.

According to Catalina Grimalt, deputy general director of Organization and Internal Resources of the Port of Barcelona, in Europe there is no other port that has so far opted to implement 100% coverage with 5G stand alone technology, which is why she describes the project as "absolutely pioneering". In addition to improving cybersecurity ---all data processed by the network is encrypted---, the emergency plan and the resilience of the infrastructure, Grimalt points out that this network will connect the port of the Catalan capital with industry 4.0 and with advances such as that of the connected vehicle. "The new 5G network clearly differentiates us from other ports and gives us a very important competitive advantage," Grimalt stated.

The executive explained that the 3.6 million contract awarded to Orange is part of an investment plan in telecommunications that reaches 9.4 million euros and will also involve the deployment of a new fiber optic network, as the existing one had become obsolete.

The president of the APB, Lluís Salvadó, stated that the 5G plan is the third major tool that the port is activating this year "to relaunch its innovation plan and accompany the business fabric." The other two levers are the creation of the BCN Port Innovation Foundation and the launch in Pier 01 of Tech Barcelona of a space to promote the development of startups linked to the blue economy.