India, May 8 -- We often talk about ports, logistics and transport as if they are separate industries. In reality, they form one continuous chain. A container unloaded from a ship must move through a port, onto a truck or train, through warehouses and distribution centres, and finally towards shops, factories or homes. When one part slows down, the entire chain feels the impact.

For decades, much of this system has depended on fragmented information, manual checks and delayed communication. A truck may arrive at a terminal before a container is ready. A warehouse may not know precisely when cargo will arrive. Port operators may discover a problem only after it has already caused congestion. This is where 5G and the Internet of Things, or...