Verizon Business landed another deal to construct a private 5G network at one of the Virginia Port Authority’s shipping terminals, as part of a project to replace Wi-Fi and enable low-latency services across the 271-acre site.

The operator stated its 5G spectrum and private network infrastructure at the Norfolk International Terminal (NIT) would meet the throughput, reliability and latency thresholds needed for safety and surveillance drones, autonomous trucks and mobile cranes.

Verizon Business will also provide its “push to talk” mobile app to connect phones, smartphones and tablets.

NIT is one of the largest commercial shipping hubs for containers in the US, with direct access to road and rail networks.

The operator won a private 5G deal with Virginia International Terminals in 2022.

Kyle Malady, CEO of Verizon Business, stated the NIT announcement showed companies “can modernise and improve their operations by starting small with new technology, proving out the use cases and applications that are right for their business and then scaling up to do even more”.

The operator noted NIT is currently undergoing several optimisation upgrades to build on its semi-automation capabilities, which will increase its capacity for additional freight.

Verizon Business stated the private 5G network will provide the connectivity foundation for adopting new sensor technology, machine learning and intelligence applications, and inventory management.

Ericsson is the primary equipment vendor.

A Verizon representative told Mobile World Live the network will use Ericsson’s standalone and dual-mode 5G core, with its outdoor C-Band radios.