Winner Spotlight: Druid Wins “Private Network Excellence in Ports” for its private network deployment at Baltic Container Terminal (BCT) in Riga, with LMT

 Private 5G Rollout at BCT Terminal Sets Maritime Industry Benchmark

At the Baltic Container Terminal (BCT) in Riga, Latvia, Druid Software and LMT have delivered one of the most advanced private 5G deployments in Europe — a benchmark for intelligent, data-driven port operations.

According to Fergal Concannon, from the CTO Office and Innovation Team at Druid Software, this project stands out as a “complete implementation within a modern intermodal port operation.”

The deployment touches every element of port activity — from reliable, high-performance communications for workers operating around container stacks and apron areas to seamless data connectivity supporting the terminal operating system (TOS). Together, these capabilities have significantly enhanced operational efficiency.

Beyond performance gains, the project also proved how quick and straightforward a 5G deployment can be when leveraging Druid’s Raemis™ private core platform. The collaboration with LMT, Latvia’s leading mobile operator, demonstrated an efficient rollout process with minimal disruption and immediate operational benefits.

Tailoring the Raemis™ Core Platform for Private 5G deployment at BCT Port 

Concannon emphasized that Druid’s Raemis™ core was purpose-built for industrial and enterprise environments — not retrofitted from public network systems.

“Our focus has always been on private networks,” he explained. “Over the years, we’ve built deep expertise around low latency, compact deployment footprints, and cost-effective hardware.”

These attributes are crucial in industrial environments like ports, where cost sensitivity and uptime requirements are high. “If you arrive with very expensive hardware,” Concannon noted, “it slows adoption and impacts operations.”

Druid’s Raemis™ platform was built from the ground up as an industrial-grade core, designed to deliver mission-critical reliability in environments where communication failures simply aren’t an option. Ports, as Concannon pointed out, “are the entry points to a country — and if they stop operating efficiently, it can disrupt an entire nation’s economy.”

A central design principle for Raemis™ is ease of use. The system empowers operational technology (OT) staff — not just telecom engineers — to manage and maintain the network. This simplification allows enterprises to operate private 5G networks confidently, without deep telecom expertise.

Integrating Private 5G Without Disrupting Port Operations

Deploying a new communications infrastructure in a live port environment poses unique challenges. The team had to ensure that all implementation work occurred without interrupting port activity.

Concannon credits LMT’s integration teams for meticulous planning and close coordination with the terminal operator: “They worked closely with the port to make sure every step was carried out without impacting operations,” he said.

Druid supported LMT throughout the process, ensuring the network was operational from day one. The deployment provided immediate, stable connectivity and maintained port operations seamlessly — a clear demonstration of how well-coordinated 5G integration can occur in mission-critical environments.

Key Performance Gains from BCT’s Private 5G Network

The benefits were evident almost immediately after launch. Concannon described “an instant and obvious increase in reliability” once the private 5G network went live.

Voice communications became clearer, data transfer became more consistent, and performance between the container stacks — an area often plagued by Wi-Fi interference — improved dramatically.

The result is a comprehensive digital foundation that enhances safety, productivity, and operational visibility across the port.

How Edge-Based Raemis™ Architecture Powers Low-Latency Operations

At the heart of Druid’s success is its edge-based Raemis™ architecture, designed to meet the ultra-low-latency requirements of modern industrial operations.

Push-to-Talk (PTT) communications, critical for port staff coordination, operate directly across the Raemis™ core. Druid’s deep integrations with multiple MCX PTT providers ensure consistent, real-time communication across the site.

“We’ve done tight integrations with several MCX providers,” Concannon said. “That gives partners like LMT the flexibility to choose the right solution with confidence that it will work effectively at all times.”

Beyond communication, Druid’s familiarity with operational technology environments enables reliable connectivity for IoT telemetry, automation, and crane control systems.

Its ability to support Layer 2 over 5G — a feature not commonly available in standard mobile cores — allows seamless transport of industrial protocols and real-time control data.

Over time, the system will support increasing levels of data-driven optimization, ensuring that terminal operating systems remain visible and responsive to workers on the ground — “without interruption,” as Concannon put it.

Riga’s Private 5G Port is a Global Model for Smart Connectivity

The Riga project has become a reference model for similar industrial deployments worldwide.

Concannon explained that the Raemis™ core is designed for simplicity and adaptability:

“You can’t approach an industrial environment with the same type of solution used in telecom networks,” he said. “What’s needed is a core that’s easy to deploy, easy to manage, and interoperable with multiple RAN providers.”

Raemis™ is RAN-agnostic, allowing integration with diverse radio vendors. This flexibility makes it possible to “drop in” the core, connect gNodeBs, and have a fully functional 5G network operational almost immediately.

Additionally, Druid provides simple integration hooks to enterprise systems — such as PBXs, corporate LANs, and other OT infrastructure — streamlining the onboarding process.

“There are very few ports in the world that wouldn’t be able to take in what we’d call a drop-in network solution,” Concannon added.

How Private 5G Supports Green Port and Sustainability Goals

Sustainability is becoming a central metric of operational excellence. Concannon noted that private 5G plays a direct role in advancing Green Port initiatives by enabling real-time monitoring and analytics.

With 5G, ports can deploy environmental sensors and vision systems across vast areas to track emissions, vessel discharges, and air or noise pollution. High-definition video can be streamed to central control centers for environmental audits and compliance reporting.

Sensors can also ensure ships entering European ports switch from heavy fuel oil to cleaner diesel alternatives, reducing pollution and helping ports remain good neighbors to surrounding communities.

What’s Next for Private 5G in Industrial and Maritime Sectors

Looking forward, Concannon expects private 5G adoption to accelerate across industries — from ports and manufacturing to utilities and logistics.

“People are realizing that private 5G offers a better solution than other technologies,” he said. “While others can complement it, private networks simply perform better.”

Ports, which function like small cities, represent a microcosm of how multi-tenant industrial environments can benefit from private 5G. Raemis™ is capable of supporting terminal operators, logistics partners, and service providers — all on the same network fabric.

New technologies like Non-Terrestrial Networks (NTN) will extend this connectivity even further. Remote assets — such as navigation lights located kilometers offshore — can now be connected through satellite-integrated 5G links.

“With NTN, we can bring data back from assets that aren’t even local to the port,” Concannon explained. “It’s an exciting time for 5G, especially in industrial and maritime applications.”

Final Takeaway: How Druid and LMT are Transforming Port Operations at Riga’s BCT Terminal

The BCT deployment in Riga represents more than a successful technology rollout — it’s a template for the next generation of intelligent, sustainable port operations.

By combining Druid’s industrial-grade Raemis™ core with LMT’s integration expertise, the project showcases how private 5G can deliver immediate, measurable benefits: enhanced reliability, safety, efficiency, and environmental stewardship.

As Concannon summarized, this deployment is just the beginning: “There’s a lot of exciting innovation still to come — and private 5G will be at the center of it.”