To ensure the successful running of their businesses, all maritime operators need secure, reliable connectivity that follows vessels wherever they sail. With this in mind, Ericsson and Net Feasa are teaming to deliver maritime connectivity competitive advantage with 4G, 5G and agentic artificial intelligence (AI).
The global communications tech giant and internet of things (IoT) service provider fundamentally believe that through their collaboration, container shipping on the high seas and the broader maritime industry could benefit from transformative real-time agentic AI-based connectivity and monitoring capabilities.
They noted that the growth of 5G deployments in major ports has showcased how sea-based supply chain service can benefit from connectivity – whether through smart container fleets or individual vessels at sea.
Furthermore, they said that in maritime operations even the smallest of changes in state to the cargo can have implications to the supply chain. This means having reliable connectivity at sea, as well as the analytical capabilities to understand potential consequences of any changes multiplied over long operational periods, can add substantially to efficiency savings or minimise waste or damage in the case of perishable goods.
Working from the maritime hub of Singapore, the Ericsson-Net Feasa partnership will look to provide vessel owners, shipping companies and port operators with real-time, end-to-end visibility of cargo from the point of departure to the destination port. They stressed that by installing their 4G/5G connectivity on-board container vessels, delivering agentic AI-ready data will improve cargo visibility and increase operational efficiency across the maritime industry, regardless of location on the world’s oceans.
Technologically, the partnership will be based Net Feasa’s Agentic Control Tower which the developer claims is the only platform currently available that enables full visibility of all smart-enabled containers on board. The agentic AI-ready data layer is designed to enable proactive operations across the supply chain.
To be deployed globally, the system is designed to scale and connect thousands of assets per vessel. This is intended to provide shippers with what is described as “flexible, future-proofed connectivity” that can evolve with operators’ digitisation strategies.
Some of the use cases already being managed live at sea include reefer monitoring, dangerous goods handling and early heat detection. The system is built to allow assets to communicate, generating the key data needed to act on real-time alerts at any point in a voyage.
In addition to the monitoring, handling and detection capabilities already live, the two companies have a roadmap for further use cases including extending connectivity across other types of shipping vessels and into ports – further enabling end-to-end, SIM-managed visibility and data-driven operations across a connected maritime supply chain.
The onboard networks are built using Ericsson Radio System products, including Radio 4490HP, Radio 2271, the Radio Processor 6355 with enhanced AI capabilities, and Power 6309. Ericsson On-Demand will aim to deliver 5G core as a service with international roaming on a global scale running on public cloud. Backhaul connectivity between the vessels and the core network will be realised using low-earth orbit satellites.
Assessing what he thought the partnership could achieve, Andres Vicente, head of Southeast Asia, Oceania and India at Ericsson, insisted that the two firms were establishing the foundation for data driven operations and AI enabled services from ship to shore: “Alongside Net Feasa, we are bringing onboard 4G and 5G cellular networks to the world’s container fleets…With container vessels as our starting point, the scope of what we can achieve across the entire global shipping industry is immense. Together, we are shaping the future of connected, intelligent shipping.”
Net Feasa chairman and founder Mike Fitzgerald added: “Digitisation of the intermodal supply chain is at a tipping point. With the advent of agentic AI, we are gathering data from everything that moves, analysing and securing this data, and empowering carriers to act on this data across their operations. This landmark partnership has the potential to transform the global maritime industry not just from an operational efficiency perspective but across employee safety, cargo risk reduction and compliance.”
