Vodafone opens up UK private 5G marine testbed
Vodafone has developed a private 5G network as a testbed for marine applications and is opening it up for companies to test out new technologies.
The Smart Sound Connect Marine 5G Mobile Private Network is operated by Plymouth Marine Laboratory (PML) using equipment and technology from Vodafone and Nokia as well as a high-speed data mesh network from Steatite for offshore links.
The testbed will be free to use for local and international businesses to create and develop marine 5G use cases, starting with a digital twin set up by Lloyd’s Register and the National Physical Laboratory.
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There are five 5G sites seamlessly integrated to provide an advanced communication capability from the quayside in Plymouth to more than 20 miles (32km) offshore with remote operations centres based in Oceansgate and PML, which is managing the service.
The Marine Assured Autonomy Testbed (MAAT) will see the creation of a fully synthetic and virtualised environment to test, prove and assure marine autonomy scenarios by using live data from Smart Sound Connect on a digital platform. This digital twin environment will form the basis for a marine autonomy certification and classification programme for autonomous vehicles and is led by Lloyds Register and the National Physical Laboratory (NPL).
The Requirements for Operational Assurance of Data Standards (ROADS) programme aims to develop specific digital standards and measurements for maritime applications, making use of MAAT.
The Bounty Project is an educational and public programme that uses Bounty’s End, a replica sailing vessel from the Channel 4 series, “Mutiny”. The project will see live cameras and data sensors mounted on the vessel to provide live streaming over 5G from voyages around Plymouth Sound to be used publicly and in schools and colleges.
“The launch of the ocean-focused 5G network represents another huge step forward for Smart Sound as the UK’s leading testbed for advanced marine technologies. The high-speed network will allow our integrated fleet of autonomous platforms – which include state-of-the-art data buoys and robotic vessels loaded with environmental sensors – to communicate the unprecedented levels of ocean data they are able to capture in real-time,” said Dr James Fishwick, Head of Smart Sound at Plymouth Marine Laboratory,
“Steatite is delighted to be involved with this ground-breaking project through the supply of world-class radio technology to create a resilient, high bandwidth MESH (Mobile AdHoc Network – MANET) network. This will support and enhance the overall testbed resulting in a totally distinctive marine communications environment,” said Alastair Wallace, Group Business Development Manager at Steatite.
www.vodafone.com; www.steatite-communications.co.uk/what-is-a-manet/
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