Vertical: Ports
Application: Automated terminal operations, real-time connectivity for vehicles/sensors/IT systems, digital test environment for new port applications
Ecosystem: Deutsche Telekom, Ericsson, Lufthansa Industry Solutions, Hamburg Port Consulting
Private Network: 5G
| Quick Answer Deutsche Telekom and Ericsson have switched on a private 5G campus network at HHLA’s Container Terminal Altenwerder (CTA) in Hamburg, covering more than one square kilometer, and live since the end of May 2026. The network links vehicles, sensors, mobile devices, and IT systems in real time to support the terminal’s highly automated operations, and also serves as a live test bed for new port technologies. The project, called PROCON-5G, is backed by German federal funding aimed at digitizing the country’s seaports and inland ports. |
A New Wireless Backbone for One of Europe’s Busiest Ports
The Port of Hamburg holds the title of Germany’s largest seaport. It ranks as Europe’s third-largest container port, making dependable connectivity an operational necessity rather than a nice-to-have. At CTA, one of HHLA’s flagship terminals, Deutsche Telekom worked alongside Ericsson to stand up a dedicated private 5G campus network that operates independently of the public mobile network, using locally allocated spectrum reserved for the site.
The build connects the full range of systems that keep an automated terminal running: yard vehicles, IoT sensors, handheld and mobile devices, and back-end IT platforms all share the same wireless layer, exchanging data continuously rather than in batches. That kind of unified connectivity is a common thread running through recent private 5G deployments at ports worldwide, where operators are replacing patchwork Wi-Fi and public cellular coverage with dedicated networks built specifically for outdoor, device-dense environments.
Built for the Demands of Automated Terminal Operations
CTA’s network runs on the Ericsson Private 5G platform, engineered to hold up under sustained, heavy traffic loads without the performance dips that can occur on shared infrastructure. The architecture is also designed to scale, so additional coverage areas and new applications can be layered in as the terminal’s automation needs grow.
Klaus Werner, Managing Director Business Customers at Telekom Deutschland, framed the significance of the deployment this way:
“This solution demonstrates how advanced mobile communications technology can make complex processes more efficient, transparent, and flexible.”
That efficiency argument echoes what Deutsche Telekom and Ericsson have already demonstrated elsewhere in the city. The two companies previously partnered on a 5G Standalone campus network at Helmut Schmidt University, giving Hamburg a second reference point for how the same vendor pairing performs across very different environments — a research campus on one side of the city, a working container terminal on the other.
A Live Test Ground for What Comes Next
Beyond day-to-day terminal operations, HHLA is positioning the network as a sandbox for validating new port technologies under real conditions before they’re rolled into production. Michael Albers, HHLA’s IT Project Manager, described what that unlocks for the terminal:
“It allows us and our partners to develop and validate innovative solutions in a real terminal environment. This marks an important step in advancing the connectivity and automation of the CTA.”
That test-and-deploy model — proving out applications on live infrastructure rather than in a lab — mirrors an approach also seen in other terminal upgrades, including AI-driven network management projects at ports where operators are using private cellular data to reduce operational delays in cargo handling.
Government-Backed Digital Innovation in German Ports
The CTA deployment sits under the PROCON-5G project, one of several initiatives supported by Germany’s “Digital Test Fields in Ports” funding program. The program is run by the Federal Ministry for Digital and Transport (BMDV), following a resolution of the German Bundestag, with the aim of building out digital test environments across the country’s seaports and inland ports. TÜV Rheinland manages the program on the Ministry’s behalf.
On the implementation side, radio network planning and the tendering process were handled with support from Zentrum für Digitale Entwicklung GmbH; Lufthansa Industry Solutions led project management; and Hamburg Port Consulting GmbH oversaw funding management — a multi-partner structure that reflects the level of involvement these public-private port projects tend to have in practice.
Why It Matters for Ports Beyond Hamburg
CTA’s network adds to a growing list of terminals worldwide moving away from Wi-Fi and public cellular toward dedicated private 5G, including recent builds at the Port of Salalah in Oman and the OPCSA terminal in the Canary Islands. Each of these projects tells a slightly different version of the same story: ports are dense, metal-heavy, outdoor environments where conventional wireless struggles, and where the case for dedicated cellular infrastructure keeps getting stronger as automation increases.
FAQs
Where is this private 5G network located, and how big is it?
The network covers HHLA’s Container Terminal Altenwerder (CTA) in the Port of Hamburg, spanning more than 1 square kilometer.
Who built the network, and what technology does it run on?
Deutsche Telekom deployed the network in partnership with Ericsson, built on the Ericsson Private 5G platform. Support partners included Zentrum für Digitale Entwicklung, Lufthansa Industry Solutions, and Hamburg Port Consulting.
What is the PROCON-5G project?
PROCON-5G is one of several initiatives funded under Germany’s “Digital Test Fields in Ports” program, run by the Federal Ministry for Digital and Transport (BMDV) and managed by TÜV Rheinland. It supports the development of digital infrastructure at German seaports and inland ports.
