Ericsson, Telia and the Norwegian University of Science & Technology (NTNU) have demonstrated a 5G-enabled driverless passenger ferry, with an AI captain, in the Norwegian fjord city of Trondheim.
 
The autonomous ferry, named MilliAmpère, transported passengers across Trondheim’s harbour canal. Ericsson’s 5G technology enabled Telia to support securely the large amount of data transfers needed to support the autonomous ferry.
 
MilliAmpère is equipped with sensors that record its surroundings and the steering system on board. This generates large amounts of data that need to be communicated with the control centre.
 
“Ericsson’s world leading 5G technology and its ability to upload large amounts of data in a short time was key to the success of the pilot,” said Jenny Lindqvist, head of Ericsson’s customer unit for northern and central Europe. “Ericsson’s 5G radio and superior software enables upload speeds of more than 200Mbit/s and download speeds above 1Gbit/s.”
 
Egil Eide, associate professor at the department of electronic systems at NTNU, added: “The data are analysed so that the vessel finds its way itself and avoids any obstacles, and at the same time the distance to the quay is measured so that the boat can safely moor itself. In the event of a sea emergency, the vessel can also be remotely controlled from the control centre at Gløshaugen via the same mobile network.”
 
Ericsson, has been working on autonomous vehicles powered by 5G all over the globe and has partnered with Telia to highlight the environmental benefits of self-driving vehicles.
 
Ericsson has more than 75 commercial 5G agreements or contracts with communication service providers, of which 24 are live networks.