Global port management operator International Container Terminal Services Inc. (ICTSI) is set to operate the country’s first 5G-enabled ‘intelligent’ port at its flagship, the Manila Interntional Container Terminal (MICT), as it partners with provider PLDT and wireless subsidiary Smart Communications.
ICTSI is one of the world’s largest container terminal operators with 34 container ports across 20 countries. In recent years, it has deployed various Internet of Things or IoT solutions in some of the technologies it utilizes in its operations and management. The MICT will be the first in the ICTSI Group and the first in the Philippine port industry to use 5G technology.
“It’s very important to us is that we constantly drive efficiency and optimization in the cargo flows. And to do that, we also need to push that optimization, beyond the boundaries of the fence of the container terminal. To really drive this journey forward, we wanted to deploy a unified backbone of communication across the port. Hence our partnership with PLDT around 5G technology,” said Brian Mark Hibbert, ICTSI Vice President and Chief Information Officer during the recent Philippine Digicon 2021.
“We see many opportunities with 5G to provide rich communication, not just to the multitude of technologies that we’re deploying inside the port, but to reach out to our customers and partners across the supply chain,” he added.
The ICTSI partnership is under the broad program of PLDT and Smart to develop world-class 5G technology use cases for industry and enterprise. PLDT and Smart have been at the forefront of 5G technology in the Philippines since 2016.
Today, Smart is the country’s fastest and widest 5G network with more than 4,000 sites across the country. As reported by Ookla®, the global leader in internet testing and analysis, Smart is also the fastest 5G network for the period Q1-Q2 2021.
PLDT and Smart’s relentless push to provide connectivity for all is aligned with the group’s long-standing commitment to help the Philippines attain the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals, particularly SDG #9: Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure and SDG #11: Sustainable Cities and Communities.
