Washington Maritime Blue and 5G Open Innovation Lab (5G OI Lab) in collaboration with two of its founding partners, Avanade and Amdocs, have published the findings and recommendations from the Tacoma Tideflats 5G Network Feasibility Study.
The study highlights how a private 5G network would enable the Tideflats to accelerate current and future technology innovation and establish global leadership in the maritime industry. It also lays the foundations for the Tacoma Tideflats to build and launch a private enterprise 5G network before the end of 2022.
Maritime Blue is a Build Back Better Regional Challenge award finalist and will dedicate funding from this recognition to make the Tacoma Tideflats one of the first commercial ports in the United States to establish itself as an innovation and sustainability trailblazer fueling a growing maritime economy and blueprint for other ports around the world.
Fewer than ten ports around the world currently offer the speed, stability, security, and scalability of a private 5G network. The Tacoma Tideflats covers more than 5,000 acres and is the base of port and terminal operations, industrial and manufacturing hubs and a critical marine ecosystem.
“The implementation of a private 5G network would establish the infrastructure for those working in the Tideflats today to utilize the technology they’re envisioning for the next decade and beyond,” said Joshua Berger, Founder and CEO of Washington Maritime Blue. “We will create an ecosystem like no other in the world to attract innovators building the technology of the future. This is an essential next step to maintain and support the growth of the maritime industry and blue economy.”
Avanade conducted a series of interviews and workshops that uncovered specific use-cases in collaboration with key stakeholders to identify the business value and technology pathway to build and use a private 5G network across the Tideflats. International ports are expected to implement private 5G wireless networks to modernize their operations. The scenarios identified by Avanade highlight the potential for the Tideflats to be a global leader in advancing port operations, advanced manufacturing, and environmental services.
Four key themes emerged from the feasibility study:
- Orchestration and Efficiency: Working together in new ways (enabled by data and technology) to create efficiency and transparency across the Tideflats, offering an end-to-end view of the supply chain.
- Infrastructure Modernization: Improve the physical and virtual infrastructure including where equipment is moved and stored, traffic management, connectivity dead zones, siloed data, manual processes and cybersecurity.
- Improving Safety: Concerns for worker and community safety and the desire to consider new ways of operating to prioritize safety.
- Enabling a Sustainable Future: Put ecological and community health at the forefront of Tacoma Tideflats operations, technologies, and processes.
“Technology, and the smart use of it, is essential for our complex ecosystem to meet the demands of today while creating a vital platform of innovation for the future,” said Jim Brisimitzis, Founder and General Partner of 5G Open Innovation Lab. “The use-case-first approach we took with the study will help the Tacoma Tideflats ecosystem with its digital transformation goals today and well into the future. This feasibility study is a visionary playbook the Tideflats ecosystem can now leverage to thoughtfully develop plans and investments. We are proud and excited to have the opportunity to partner with Maritime Blue and our 5G OI Lab partners on this project and look forward to helping make the vision for the Tideflats a reality.”
5G Open Innovation Lab partners also collaborated on the feasibility study, lending its global perspectives and best practices. The study was produced by Avanade and Amdocs, in partnership with:
- City of Tacoma
- Washington State Department of Commerce
- Impact Washington
- Business Finland
- Tacoma Public Utilities
- Husky Terminal & Stevedoring
“We are pleased to be part of this collaborative effort showcasing Tacoma’s ‘can do’ attitude,” said Jeff Robinson, Director of Community and Economic Development for the City of Tacoma. “This project can help solve real business challenges through access to emerging technology across the Tideflats and will identify Tacoma as a destination for those looking to develop technologies in support of sustainable maritime and related industries.”
Maritime Blue and the 5G OI Lab are now preparing to further engage with coalition partners to pilot a private 5G network. The move highlights the technology’s potential to constituents by creating a network proof-of-concept zone and testing a subset of key use cases that benefit a broader group. Building out dense coverage enables early adoption and pilot use cases for partners such as Husky Terminal and allows a broader set of stakeholders to see value in the network for their own operations. It will also generate vast data sets that could be used to inform shared data solutions.
“Husky has been a committed partner throughout the process and is ready to make investments for building out key business use cases that reside on top of a private network recommended in the feasibility study,” said Dustin Stoker, President of Husky Terminal and Stevedoring, LLC.
Through knowledge sharing, collaborative project development, and enabling an ecosystem for innovation, the Tacoma Tideflats will collectively realize a shared vision for a sustainable and equitable economy and port community. The feasibility study is now a key driver to secure funding for implementation from industrial partners, federal and state government.
You can learn more about the study and the findings here.
