5G: CMA CGM at the Forefront of the New Shipping Revolution

Since the introduction of 1G in the late 1980s, the mobile network has evolved continuously, including text, image and video exchanges and finally ultra-high definition streaming services.

The commercial development of 5G has yet to be completed. And for good reason, this is not just an evolution of previous networks, but a real breakthrough technology. Ever since it was designed, it has aimed at integrating a number of use cases previously limited by current technology, including: The Internet of Things (IoT).

In recent years, the development of the Internet of Things on containers has emerged, as with TRAXENS, the connected box attached to a container that allows our customers to manage their supply chain in near real-time. CMA CGM was the first ocean carrier to invest in this innovation and has since been joined by the other major ocean carriers, suggesting that this type of technology will be standardized in the industry.

With 5G, the development of the IoT is taking on a completely different dimension, as Rajesh KRISHNAMAMURTHY, Executive Central Director IT & CMA CGM Transformations explains:

"This new network allows us to connect a large number of devices per km² while guaranteeing a fast throughput and a latency divided by 10 compared to 4G LTE. We are talking about a response time between devices that barely exceeds a millisecond. This offers a crucial reactivity to the industry with constant and almost immediate exchanges with low throughput devices that consume little energy. This is a real leap forward in the empowerment of connected containers which can often leave for several weeks at sea and on land. »

The time required for deployment, marketing, studies, international development and the almost infinite potential of 5G are delaying the establishment of a single standard for the industry. Whether it is a question of combining 5G with artificial intelligence for navigation aids, or with the blockchain for securing load-related data, CMA CGM is already exploring all possibilities to improve its customers' experience.

In the context of the IoT and shipping, there are actually two main mobile network technologies: the 4G LTE-M and the 5G NB IoT. Behind these technical terms are two technologies that do not use the same mobile network but offer the best performance in terms of data exchange. The basic differences of these networks meet very specific needs respectively.

"The 4G LTE-M has a high throughput and consumes a lot of energy", adds Rajesh KRISHNAMAMURTHY."It is easy to imagine the use of this network on autonomous vehicles, when large amounts of data compiled by many sensors need to be transmitted simultaneously. On the other hand, we have the 5G NB-IOT which is more suitable for small connected objects with a greater autonomy due to its low throughput, enough to meet the needs of the connected containers. For a group like CMA CGM, these technologies can be quite complementary.”

The development of this new mobile network still has a long way to go, both on land and at sea. Whatever standard is adopted, CMA CGM Group will continue to position itself as an innovation leader to guarantee its customers the most complete experience possible, as well as the best transport and reactivity conditions for ever more efficient operations.