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 International 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) 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.

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“It’s very important to us that we constantly drive efficiency and optimization in the cargo flows,” said Brian Mark Hibbert, ICTSI VP and chief information officer, ICTSI. “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.”

The ICTSI partnership is under the broad program of PLDT and Smart to develop world-class 5G technology use cases for industry and enterprise.

“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,” Hibbert said.