Contract for a 5G Smart Port Partner

The NE7 represent the Northeast local authorities that are coming together to form a new Mayoral Combined Authority. The strengths/growth areas of this Authority are Agriculture, Manufacturing (with associated Transport and Logistics) and Creative Arts.

Together we have bid to the '5G Innovation Regions' competition being run by the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology to deliver a number of projects that will contribute to establishing Northeast England as a national centre of excellence for terrestrial and non-terrestrial 5G use-case development and adoption, accelerating the economic, social and wellbeing impact of advanced digital connectivity through rapid adoption and scale-up across key sectors - whilst boosting economic performance of the region.

South Tyneside Council, a NE7 member, are leading one of these projects which is to innovate in Smart Ports. This procurement is for a Smart Port partner, subject to approval of the bid.

This procurement is for a Smart Port Partner who will be required to explore 5G-enabled port operations to improve port competitiveness and safety and reduce environmental impact.

UK ports are actively investing in 5G networks to help to drive sustainable economic growth in the region and support the transition to Net Zero.

This project, which will allow for 5G cameras and IoT sensors to inspect the Port estate, boosting efficiency and reducing fuel usage, will enable ports to drive forward plans to become all-electric.

Once established, 5G infrastructure at ports will be used a testbed for innovation companies to pilot their technology within a port environment to accelerate products for the betterment of the UK maritime sector. We will also disseminate the learnings in real time to our Northeast Ports of Tyne, Blyth, and Sunderland - as well as to wider UK Ports and 5G Ecosystem.

Key deliverables will be

• Mobile AI port safety solution

• Emissions and Asset Monitoring solution

• AI Analytics solution

• Feasibility study for satellite-enabled 5G extensions for port use cases

• Dissemination and learning by all Northeast Ports and UK, through white papers and event attendance

To bid for this procurement, you must register via the North East Procurement Portal - www.nepo.org.