The Port of Tilbury, Ford Dagenham, and DP World London Gateway are among key industrial sites that could use private 5G networks under a new partnership.
Verizon Business has announced a collaboration with Thames Freeport and Nokia to deploy private 5G networks across multiple sites along the River Thames Estuary.
The aim is to serve as the backbone for a multibillion-pound regeneration project in one of the UK's busiest maritime logistics hubs.
Jennifer Artley, senior vice president of 5G Acceleration at Verizon Business, said: "Our partnership with Thames Freeport and Nokia shows the full promise of private 5G at scale.
"Thames Freeport is developing one of the most technologically advanced commercial corridors in Europe to enable forward innovation and economic revitalisation for an entire community."
The private 5G networks will support a wide range of technological enhancements, including AI-driven data analytics, autonomous vehicle control, and real-time logistics orchestration.
These improvements will contribute to the local economy and support job training and reskilling as part of employment initiatives.
The Thames Freeport plans to create 5,000 jobs by 2030, focusing on high-skilled training for local communities.
Martin Whiteley, CEO of Thames Freeport, said: "A flexible, high-performance connectivity platform is critical to our long-term vision.
"Our investment in private 5G is not an incremental network upgrade – it's the backbone of a technological transformation fueling our long-term multi-stakeholder mission."
The Port of Tilbury, Ford Dagenham, and DP World London Gateway, along with other sites, will benefit from the deployment of these networks.
The Port of Tilbury handles 16 million tonnes of cargo per year, while Ford Dagenham is the largest manufacturing site in London.
David de Lancellotti, vice president of Enterprise Campus Edge Sales at Nokia, added: "Private wireless and industrial edge are the foundations for the digital transformation of industrial sites, and the Thames Freeport deployment is a landmark example of this evolution at scale.
"This is one of the largest commercial private 5G rollouts in a European port incorporating the Nokia DAC platform."
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