LMT has demonstrated a suite of applications for port environments on a private 5G network. They range from automated drone-based crane inspection, underwater drones for water quality inspection and oil spill collection, unloading and loading dual-use USVs (Unmanned Surface Vehicles), and more. The demonstration was held during the Techritory Forum at the Baltic Container Terminal within the Freeport of Riga, presenting the 5G port use cases to delegations and diplomatic representatives from countries such as Germany, Italy, Slovenia, the UAE, the Netherlands, and more.
LMT has spent years developing 5G maritime technology to increase port environment efficiency and bolster its competitiveness. The foundation of port environment innovations is the LMT 5G core, which is at the center of the private 5G network deployed throughout the port environment. The private network ensures continuous connectivity throughout the expansive territory, which is key to ensuring uninterrupted, automated functions.
Maritime connectivity has been an underdeveloped area in telecommunications. At the same time, ports are critical infrastructure of national and international importance, both in terms of supply chain efficiency and national defence. The LMT 5G core makes it possible to build out on the opportunities presented by 5G, and we’re excited to be able to show just a few of the game-changing use cases that are made possible by our technology.
Juris Binde, President of LMTThe 5G private network provides the foundation for a variety of applications to increase port efficiency and security. The LMT demonstration provided integration and connectivity to showcase a variety of use cases relevant in a port environment. The demonstration included:
- Real-time hydrography sensor data transmission from ship to land, using machine vision and AI to analyze irregularities
- Automated infrastructure inspections performed by drones and analyzed using machine vision in collaboration with the autonomous drone platform Beyron
- Deploying and piloting USVs from a ship in collaboration with LVR Flote
- Underwater intruder detection system with SUBmerge Baltic and USV Spark maritime drones, remotely piloted
Since 2020, the Port of Riga, together with our subsidiary LVR Fleet and partners from the telecom company LMT, has been actively involved in providing a practical testbed for various drone and 5G network-related technologies. For us, being a port authority means playing a key role as an enabler of new technologies — strengthening our competitive advantage, facilitating the energy transition, and increasing our resilience for the future.
Ansis Zeltins, CEO of the Freeport of Riga AuthorityLMT has been developing maritime connectivity technologies for several years now. It has coined, spearheaded, and successfully demonstrated the multi-hop connectivity principle to bring 5G to the sea. At the beginning of 2025, LMT launched the first private 5G network in the Baltics for the Baltic Container Terminal located in the Freeport of Riga to update their connectivity technologies to enable and scale future technologies, as demonstrated today. LMT has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Port of Hamburg and Fleet of Hamburg to increase bilateral cooperation and digital innovation in maritime technologies in port infrastructure management in the Baltic Sea. LMT’s 5G maritime communications technology was also awarded the International Association of Ports and Harbours (IAPH) Sustainability Award in the “Digitalization” category.