VTT “hops” 5G out to sea

Vessel close to coast acted as hub, "hopping" 5G signal to vessel further out at sea.[Photograph: Andrea Gentili]

On land, 5G technology has transformed communications, providing high-speed data transfer and minimal latency. However, delivering these benefits at sea has remained challenging, and connectivity has traditionally been limited to urban coastal regions. Now, though, the VTT Technical Research Center of Finland and its partners in the 5G-ROUTES project, funded by the EU’s Horizon 2020 program, have successfully trialed a so-called multi-hop solution near Turku, Finland, extending coverage up to 10 kilometers (about 6 miles) offshore.

“This was a groundbreaking multi-hop test of 5G networks in a maritime environment. The project aims to solve the coverage and capacity challenges for data transmission at sea, to allow the creation of new solutions for the passengers and the whole maritime industry,” says Anne Lönnqvist, research manager from VTT.

VTT led this demonstration with Vediafi, Cumucore and Airbus, with support from Ericsson, Nokia, Digita, DNA, Telia and Goodmill Systems.

The system was rigorously tested on two vessels in the Turku-Stockholm maritime corridor, with one vessel closer to the coast acting as a hub, providing connectivity to the second vessel located further offshore. This configuration enabled continuous data transfer and reliable internet access for various applications, from real-time video transmission between vessels to VR collaboration tools and multiplayer gaming.

“These maritime tests were an excellent opportunity to develop new 5G applications and services for the sea cluster,” said Lasse Nykänen, project director at Vediafi. “It was great to see that the technology is ready — the next step is to find a commercial implementation model. The recognition and reporting of satellite positioning disturbances and interference were successfully piloted using the 5G test network. The new multi-hop solution also offered a 5G coverage extension for logistics use.”

Reliable, high-capacity 5G promises to greatly enhance vessel operations, increase automation and enrich the onboard passenger experience. The 5G-ROUTES team has combined multiple communication technologies — public 5G networks, ship-to-ship private 5G and satellite communications— into a cohesive system that seamlessly connects vessels even as they move farther from the coastline.

According to VTT, the system demonstrated enables mid-frequency, high-bandwidth 5G connectivity through a multi-hop setup between vessels. The setup utilizes public 5G NSA networks for coastal connectivity, private 5G SA networks for vessel-based communication and satellite connections as a backup for high availability.

“The higher bandwidth allows for more versatile types of data services. However, the solution is still in a proof-of-concept phase. The main constraints lie in national regulation, the density and pattern of vessel traffic and access to the public 5G network in areas where the capacity may be limited,” says Kati Kõrbe, 5G-ROUTES project manager from Ericsson Estonia.