Verizon, Nokia and Thames Freeport partner on huge private 5G rollout at UK logistics hubs

Verizon Business is partnering with Thames Freeport and Nokia to deploy private 5G networks across several key industrial and logistics sites along the River Thames Estuary, including DP World London Gateway, Port of Tilbury, and Ford Dagenham.

The Thames Freeport is one of eight government-designated freeports in England These are special economic zones along the River Thames that benefit from relaxed customs, tax, and planning rules to stimulate trade, innovation, jobs, and green investment

 The network will allow Thames Freeport to overlay advanced use cases such as AI-driven data analytics, predictive maintenance, process automation, autonomous vehicle control, safety monitoring, and real-time logistics orchestration

The project represents one of the largest private 5G rollouts in a European port and is intended to provide the digital infrastructure for advanced industrial applications such as AI-driven analytics, autonomous vehicles, and real-time logistics management.

Nokia will supply the hardware and software for the network using its Digital Automation Cloud (DAC) platform and MX Industrial Edge (MXIE) technology. The private 5G infrastructure will be used to support operational improvements and data-driven automation across port and manufacturing environments.

The deployment includes:

• DP World London Gateway and Logistics Park – the UK’s largest deep-sea container port, with capacity for over 3 million units annually and a 9.25 million sq ft logistics hub.

• Port of Tilbury – handling 16 million tonnes of cargo a year, the site serves sectors including construction, automotive, and food & drink.

• Ford Dagenham – London’s largest manufacturing site and a key location for automotive production.

The networks are designed to support use cases such as predictive maintenance, smart cargo tracking, process automation, and environmental monitoring.

Thames Freeport stakeholders, including DP World, Forth Ports and Ford, will oversee localised network usage, allowing tailored deployment according to each site’s needs.

The infrastructure is also expected to support regional economic development initiatives, including job creation and training programmes. Thames Freeport has stated its aim to generate 5,000 jobs by 2030.

This deployment comes as UK ports and logistics operators increasingly look to private 5G as a way to digitise operations and improve efficiency in areas with complex connectivity requirements.

The initiative adds to Verizon’s global portfolio of private wireless network deployments, and follows similar industrial 5G projects with manufacturing and logistics clients in the US and Europe.

“A flexible, high-performance connectivity platform is critical to our long-term vision,” said Martin Whiteley, CEO, Thames Freeport. “Our investment in private 5G is not an incremental network upgrade—it’s the backbone of a technological transformation fuelling our long-term multi-stakeholder mission, which includes operational excellence for tenants

David de Lancellotti, VP of Enterprise Campus Edge Sales at Nokia added “Private wireless and industrial edge are the foundations for the digital transformation of industrial sites. The Thames Freeport deployment is a landmark example of this evolution at scale”