The Saudi Ports Authority (Mawani) has signed three memoranda of understanding with telecom operators and vendors, aiming to deploy 5G technology in the Kingdom’s ports, the Saudi Press Agency (SPA) reported.
Saudi Arabia’s Smart Ports initiative involved signing agreements with the Kingdom’s largest telecom operator stc and global telecom giants Huawei and Ericsson. DP World, Saudi Global Ports Company (SGP) and the Red Sea Gateway Terminal Company (RSGT) were also involved in the agreements.
“Saudi ports are entering a crucial stage of transforming into automated Smart ports by adopting the technologies of the Fourth Industrial Revolution with their advanced applications besides relying on [artificial intelligence], [the Internet of Things], and technologies of 5G with the aim of raising the efficiency of the operational performance of [the] Saudi port network and developing the marine transport system to enhance the Kingdom’s presence on the global logistics services map,” said President of Saudi Ports Authority Omar bin Talal Hariri.
Under the three agreements signed on Sunday, all parties involved will cooperate in deploying and accelerating the use of 5G technology – which offers super-fast speeds and low latency, particularly important factors when it comes to use cases for automation – in the logistics and operations space.
Additionally, the agreements stipulated that the companies will cooperate in providing IT infrastructure as well as cloud computing and cybersecurity development, among many other areas.
The Saudi Ports Authority president also added that the Smart Ports initiative was an important area for the Kingdom to achieve its Saudi Vision 2030 goals to increase the gross domestic product share of non-oil exports from 16 percent to 50 percent, especially since the ports account for more than 90 percent of the Saudi export movement.
The authority also aims to enhance and raise the Kingdom’s global rating in the Logistics Performance Index and to develop a more sustainable maritime sector through its adoption of clean and renewable energy.