Latvian Telecom Demonstrates Private 5G Network Capabilities at Riga Port

Private 5G Network Deployment

Latvian Mobile Telephone (LMT) has showcased its private 5G network with multiple application demonstrations at the Freeport of Riga, according to industry reports. The demonstrations took place at the Baltic Container Terminal earlier this week, just before the Techritory conference that several industry publications attended.

Private 5G Network Deployment
Industrial Applications Demonstrated
Maritime Connectivity Advancements
5G as Industrial Technology
International Cooperation and Future Plans

Sources indicate that LMT, Latvia’s oldest and largest telecommunications provider, initially launched what it claims was the first private 5G network in the Baltics back in March at the same location. The company reportedly explained that the private 5G network was necessary to replace what it described as “outdated” WiFi technology, installing its 5G core network directly at the port facility to support this transition.

Industrial Applications Demonstrated

The demonstration featured several use cases highlighting the network’s capabilities, analysts suggest. These included drone-based crane inspection systems, underwater drones for water quality monitoring and oil spill collection, and dual-use Unmanned Surface Vehicles (USVs) for loading and unloading operations.

Additional applications reportedly utilized LMT’s private 5G network for real-time hydrography sensor data transmission from ships to land, using machine vision and artificial intelligence to analyze irregularities. Automated infrastructure inspections were conducted by drones and analyzed via machine vision in partnership with autonomous drone platform Beyron, according to demonstration details.

Maritime Connectivity Advancements

Juris Binde, president of LMT, stated that “maritime connectivity has been an underdeveloped area in telecommunications. At the same time, ports are critical infrastructure of national and international importance, both in terms of supply chain efficiency and national defense.”, according to expert analysis

The report states that USVs were deployed and piloted from a ship in partnership with LVR Flote, while the network supported an underwater intruder detection system used with Submerge Baltic and USV Spark maritime drones, which were remotely piloted. The 5G network at the port has been integrated with BCT’s existing closed network, ensuring all data transmission remains internal.

5G as Industrial Technology

According to Ingmārs Pūķis, vice president and board member at LMT, the deployment exemplifies the true purpose of 5G technology. “At the onset of 5G, one of the promises we took seriously was that 5G was industrial,” Pūķis told reporters, explaining that “5G is the industrial standard, because historically 2G, 3G, and 4G have all been mass market standards. But 5G is not needed by consumers.”

Company representatives indicated that LMT is looking to expand its private 5G networks to other key industries, with agriculture mentioned as a potential sector for future deployment.

International Cooperation and Future Plans

During the Techritory conference, LMT reportedly revealed that it has signed a memorandum of understanding with the Port of Hamburg and Fleet of Hamburg to “increase bilateral cooperation and digital innovation in maritime technologies in port infrastructure management in the Baltic Sea.”

The demonstrations build upon previous 5G trials conducted in 2023 when LMT worked with local technical port services provider LVR Fleet to test 5G applications on the Daugava River in Riga. Kārlis Vilciņš, head of system integration business at LMT, noted that a push-to-talk solution was introduced instead of traditional radios, allowing both voice communication and image and video sharing capabilities.

Industry analysts suggest that the successful implementation at the Freeport of Riga could serve as a model for other port facilities looking to modernize their operations through 5G technology deployment.