Tū Ātea has outlined plans to build New Zealand's first commercial Private 5G network for CentrePort in Wellington.

The network is set to go live at the port, which is a key connection for New Zealand’s freight and transport system, in the third quarter of this year.

The Private 5G network will provide port workers with dedicated connectivity across port operations.

Māori-run communications provider Tū Ātea Limited will initially provide high-speed connections to dozens of tablet devices used in vehicles and cranes which help manage and process typically four million tonnes in freight each year.

The Private 5G network will also support security at the port and allow for features such as network slicing.

Network slicing allows operators to create multiple virtual networks within a single physical 5G network, which is something that can be customized for specific use cases.

Tū Ātea's network will include several 5G high-power radio transceivers and antennas deployed on CentrePort’s existing light-pole infrastructure, connected over a fiber optic network to Tū Ātea’s converged packet core.

“It means we can provide 5G network slicing to CentrePort, which is a game changer when it comes to offering dedicated wireless capacity for mission-critical operations,” says Antony Royal, Tū Ātea’s CEO.

The network is set to provide a timely connection boost at the port, which can often suffer from connectivity issues.

“Coverage can be tricky due to large ships and container stacks blocking radio signals. This Private 5G network will be optimized to overcome that and will underpin converged smart network features we are planning," said Anthony Delaney, CentrePort’s CEO.

The company is working with Mavenir Telecom to provide the Private 5G network, it added.

Tū Ātea's origins date back to the Interim Māori Spectrum Commission. In 2023, Tū Ātea acquired Tū Ātea Network Services (the former Broadtech Group). The words Tū Ātea translate to "to stand (tū) in space (ātea)," according to the company's website.