Supporting Thames Freeport on multi-million-pound 5G network contract

The project, financed through public funding and fulfilled by telecoms company Verizon, aims to drastically improve the Freeport’s digital capability.

Thames Freeport is a geographical area in Southeast England designated as a Freeport tax site by the UK Government, providing tax reliefs to attract investment and jobs, especially in regions requiring regeneration.

A state-of-the-art private 5G network will provide the opportunity to enable innovative applications and services across Freeport tax sites at Port of Tilbury, DP World London Gateway, and Ford Dagenham, including environmental monitoring (e.g., air quality sensors, emissions tracking), smart utilities (e.g., smart meters), and operational improvements through Internet of Things (IoT) devices and autonomous systems. Each tax site will be assessing the innovation initiatives that support their individual requirements.

Our Head of Technology & Digital, Sally Mewies, led the transaction with support from Jake Phillips, Ben Sheppard and Abbie Thomas.

This is another significant telecoms transaction for our growing practice.

Discussing the transaction, Sally said: “We’re proud to have advised Thames Freeport Limited on this major 5G network project. The solution will provide a platform for the deployment of applications and services that will transform the tax sites of Port of Tilbury, DP World London Gateway, and Ford Dagenham.  

“By navigating this niche funding and contract framework, we’ve enabled each site to pursue tailored IoT, environmental monitoring and smart-utilities initiatives.”