08 November 2018

DP World’s Antwerp Gateway reportedly handles 2.5 million containers and almost 950 ships annually, along with 3,000 trucks daily.

BELGIUM - One of Europe’s largest and busiest container terminals has a new wireless backbone network that uses Rajant’s Kinetic Mesh technology.

As well as dealing with around 3,000 trucks every day, DP World’s Antwerp Gateway in Belgium is said to handles 2.5 million containers and almost 950 ships every year.

Its wireless network was deployed by UK telco BT and is designed to provide secure and resilient connectivity for not only 900 employees but also the growing demands of connected devices.

These will help DP World Antwerp to analyse and optimise processes and operations, such as the movement of vehicles around the terminal.

Rajant says its mobile, scalable and “highly reliable” Kinetic Mesh system enables always-on communications so that critical applications can be accessed in real-time and in the “most cost-effective” way.

The firm says its solution provides DP World Antwerp with a flexible meshed wireless backbone network that offers security, resilience and high bandwidth.

It’s claimed the system dynamically adapts to accommodate connectivity for moving vehicles, and overcomes obstacles within an ever-changing environment including the presence of containers or large ships.

“The container industry and global supply chain is undergoing huge changes enabled by digital technology,” says Patrick Putman, chief information and innovation officer, DP World.

“Working together [with BT], we have successfully completed a wireless backbone solution that creates an infrastructure for future IoT deployments, opening up the possibilities of automation and artificial intelligence. It is our backbone for growth.”