Nokia, AT&T Mexico deploy LTE network in maritime terminal

Nokia and AT&T Mexico have announced the deployment of an industrial-grade LTE private wireless network solution at the APM Terminals terminal in Puerto Progreso, Yucatan, using the Nokia Digital Automation Cloud (DAC) platform. APM Terminals Yucatán is the only container terminal in Puerto Progreso, a deep-water port and a key logistics location for the Yucatán peninsula and south-eastern Mexico, which is home to almost 13 million residents.

The new private wireless network, powered AT&T Mexico, uses 4.9G LTE to deliver pervasive high-bandwidth, low-latency connectivity, and improve network predictability in piers and yards. It will securely connect hundreds of workers, sensors, equipment and vehicles across an area of 11.5 ha.

Nokia DAC provides industrial-grade wireless connectivity for the new APM Terminals Yucatán virtualised Terminal Operation System and will enable future use cases such as remote and autonomous crane operations within the piers and yards, as well as enabling new capabilities at APM Terminals. Nokia DAC is a high-performance, end-to-end private wireless network and edge computing platform designed to meet the mission-critical needs of asset-intensive industries such as port terminals.

AT&T Mexico has added Nokia’s flagship enterprise capabilities, focusing on private networks capabilities, to its private cellular networks solutions. APM Terminals can now expand its digitalisation and automation vision enabled by robust and flexible private LTE networks built on licensed spectrum.

“We are working with AT&T Mexico and Nokia because of their expertise and unique knowledge in the Mexican telecom market,” said Nathalie Rush, Managing Director of APM Terminals Yucatán. “The signal strength has really exceeded our expectations so far. We can cover the entire port with the solution, reaching a radius of about 6 km. This platform is already considered a reference for the rest of the terminals in the group.”

“This has been the first private cellular network for AT&T Mexico Business Unit,” added Gabriel Fernández, Innovation & IoT Director at AT&T Mexico. “The needs and demands of our customers are always evolving, though, and we’re upgrading with them. Private networks are increasingly important for businesses — especially in Industry 4.0 environments with a lot of connected devices, where privacy, data control and performance are all crucial.”

“The US–Mexico–Canada free trade agreement (USMCA) accelerates investment and boosts the digital transformation of the logistic chain, including the support to maritime terminals,” concluded Marcelo Entreconti, Head of Enterprise for Latin America, Nokia. “By deploying an industrial-grade private wireless network with our strategic partner AT&T Mexico, we can provide robust, secure and predictable wireless connectivity, capable of supporting new digitalisation and automation use cases.

“With this project, APM Terminals confirms its leadership in the digitalisation of port operations in Latin America. We thank AT&T Mexico and APM Terminals for their trust and we are excited about our further collaboration.”

Image credit: iStock.com/Iren_Key