LG Uplus Takes First Step Toward Smart Ports with 5G Remote-Controlled Crane

Full-scale B2B New Business Launch with 5G Smart Port Construction
Remote Crane Operation from Office Using 5G Low-Latency Video Transmission Solution
Plan to Apply and Expand 5G to Busan Port Yard Cranes Next Year

[Asia Economy Reporter Eunmo Koo] Under the leadership of LG Uplus CEO Hwang Hyun-sik, the company is launching a smart port construction project starting with 5G remote-controlled cranes. This move appears to be a full-scale effort to strengthen the 5G mobile communication business by expanding the business-to-business (B2B) business model.

Full-Scale Launch of New 5G B2B Business through Smart and Automated Port Construction

LG Uplus announced on the 2nd that it will introduce a 5G network for smart port construction in collaboration with Busan Port Authority (BPA), applying it to various fields such as cargo handling equipment and logistics warehouses. A smart port is a next-generation port that enhances productivity and improves work environment safety by automating and smartening various facilities and infrastructure necessary for port operations based on a 5G network characterized by ultra-low latency, ultra-high speed, and ultra-connectivity.

Starting with the commercialization of 5G remote-controlled cranes in mid-2024, LG Uplus plans to continuously develop and apply smart port solutions such as autonomous yard tractors, artificial intelligence (AI) video analysis, digital twins through Internet of Things (IoT) sensors, and autonomous drones using 5G infrastructure. The scope of application will also be expanded to ports such as Gwangyang Port and Sinsundae Port in the future. Furthermore, LG Uplus plans to actively foster four major new 5G B2B business sectors with expected market growth, including smart and automated ports like 'Smart SOC,' smart factories, smart mobility, and smart cities and industrial complexes.

Seo Jae-yong, head of LG Uplus’s Smart Infrastructure Business Division, said, “We will do our best with our partners to successfully establish LG Uplus’s 5G technology in domestic ports including Busan,” adding, “We will focus on building LG Uplus’s unique competitiveness in the 5G B2B market, which is expected to approach 25 trillion won by 2026, and establish it as a new growth engine.”

A 5G remote-controlled crane transporting containers.

This smart port project is significant as it is the first time in Korea that a 5G network is being built and applied to port operations. Currently, domestic ports operate 24/7 by managing loading and unloading schedules through Terminal Operating Systems (TOS) to handle massive cargo volumes. However, there is a need for improvement in various aspects, such as low processing efficiency caused by the manual operation of cranes that move containers.

Considering the need to enhance competitiveness in domestic ports, the government is also promoting port automation and digitalization projects through 2030. As a result, the domestic smart and automated port market is expected to grow from 100 billion won in 2017 to 400 billion won in 2024. The global market environment is also positive. According to the global market research firm MarketsandMarkets, the global smart and automated port market is expected to grow at an average annual rate of 25%, reaching 5.272 billion USD by 2024.

This smart port project is expected to give strong momentum to CEO Hwang Hyun-sik’s B2B business promotion, who has emphasized new business discovery since his inauguration. After being officially appointed at the regular shareholders’ meeting in March, CEO Hwang expressed his intention to focus on ‘discovering and expanding new businesses’ and to create new businesses in the B2B sector of 5G. He is personally overseeing the newly established New Business Promotion Division created through this year’s organizational restructuring. The establishment of this division strongly reflects CEO Hwang’s strong will for new growth engines.

5G Remote-Controlled Cranes: One Operator Controls up to Four Cranes... Increased Operational Efficiency and Reduced Accident Risk

A 5G remote-controlled crane transporting containers.

The first service LG Uplus is introducing to build a smart port is the 5G remote-controlled crane, provided based on the 3.5 GHz frequency band. 5G is essential for upgrading existing ports to smart ports. If a wired network is installed to build a remote control system, container terminal operations, which must run 24/7 without interruption, would have to be temporarily halted, and the operating radius of cranes would be limited due to optical cables. On the other hand, using the wireless 5G network allows the remote control system to be built without additional construction, improving port operational efficiency.

To secure port competitiveness through 5G, LG Uplus has been applying and verifying the 5G network for remote control of yard cranes at Shingamman Pier since 2019 through an industrial ministry R&D project in collaboration with Dongwon Busan Container Terminal, Seoho Electric, and the Advanced Institute of Technology.

Along with the 5G network, LG Uplus has prepared a ‘low-latency video transmission solution’ that can be used for remote-controlled cranes and automation of various cargo handling equipment. This solution is a technology secured through LG Uplus’s equity investment in the venture company Quopin last year, which compresses ultra-high-capacity video to minimize delay time, an essential item for 5G remote control services. It can reduce video transmission time by about 84% compared to LTE.

Remote-controlled cranes based on 5G can greatly improve the port work environment. Until now, operators had to control cranes for moving containers while looking down from 25 meters high for long hours. One operator could control only one crane, and due to limited visibility from the operator’s cabin, containers could only be stacked up to three tiers.

However, with 5G crane remote control, one operator can control 3 to 4 cranes from a safe office away from the worksite, and containers can be pre-positioned in convenient locations for movement when operators are absent. Additionally, productivity is expected to increase by more than 40%, including stacking containers four tiers or higher.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.