What is Private 5G Network?

Private 5G networks are nonpublic mobile networks that can use licensed, unlicensed, or shared spectrum. Private 5G networks are meant to augment existing capabilities and introduce new possibilities that other systems are not able to support.

What are the models for private 5G networks?

There are multiple models for how a private 5G network can be architected, deployed, and operated, including:

Wholly owned and operated private 5G networks, where an organization owns all the equipment, private clouds, and spectrum, and manages the network in-house
Hybrid private-public cloud 5G networks, where a business may own or lease on-premises equipment and use a public or private cloud service to host parts of the network
Private 5G delivered via network slicing, which may include an on-site Radio Access Network (RAN) and other equipment, depending on application needs
Neutral host networks with a RAN and signal sharing

What is a private 5G network as a service?

A private 5G network as a service is an alternative to buying, building, and managing a private mobile network. It can lower the barrier of entry for enterprises and industries by reducing initial costs and offloading construction and daily management, so organizations can focus on core business initiatives.

Private 5G vs private LTE (4G)

Private LTE (4G) networks have been in use for more than 10 years, providing secure connectivity in use cases where coverage and reliability are needed. 4G technology often provides sufficient bandwidth and latency for enterprises' needs. 5G is the next generation of cellular network technology for situations that demand more than what 4G can deliver.

Private 5G offers numerous performance advantages over private LTE, including faster data transmission, lower latency, and the ability to connect to more devices in a defined area. 5G is ultimately expected to provide a huge leap forward in terms of merging the human user experience and the machine or device experience.

Private LTE is expected to continue to play an important role, however, since 5G architecture can fully support a 4G network.

Private network ranges

Private 5G network ranges can cover anywhere from a few thousand square feet to dozens of square kilometers, depending on the power of the radio transmitter, the band being used, and the needs of the user.

A typical 5G radio operating on low, mid, and high bands offers the following ranges:

Low-band

Less than 1 GHz
Hundreds of square miles
Speeds of less than 300 Mbps

Mid-band

Sub-6 GHz
Several-mile radius
Can reach low Multigigabit speeds

High-band or mmWave

Less than 1-mile radius today
Mid to high Multigigabit speeds

Private 5G use cases

Private 5G can help enable low latency, high bandwidth, and seamless secure wireless connectivity in use cases such as:

Manufacturing

Private 5G can power robotics, autonomous guided vehicles (AGV), scanners, virtual reality (VR) remote devices, and drive closed-loop manufacturing, including sensors and automated pickup of 3D-printed components.

Logistics and warehousing

Private 5G can support AGV, remote expert solutions such as augmented reality (AR), VR, real-time asset and inventory tracking, facility modeling, predictive analytics, automated logistics control and management, and facility and environmental control.

Private 5G can offer high reliability, low latency support for massive machine-type communications (mMTC) and zero-trust security.

Hospitality and venues

Private 5G can support both staff and guest applications and services, a mix of wireless connectivity options, and interior and exterior security cameras and sensors.

Education and universities

Education entities need to support advanced research and protect intellectual property—challenges that 5G can address. This includes providing security as well as supporting research and development in inter-vehicle communication, drones, and related data.

Fixed wireless access (FWA) providers

Fixed wireless access providers offer high-bandwidth internet access to underserved areas, as well as to facilities where laying fiber is prohibitively costly or otherwise unavailable. The FWAs grow their businesses by offering high-bandwidth access and managed and value-added services.

Industrial

Private 5G networks can revolutionize processes within industries such as manufacturing, logistics, energy, and mining. For example, 5G's transaction and processing speeds, as well as its reliability, will help enable technologies such as collaborative mobile robots, autonomous machines, swarm intelligence, AR, and predictive maintenance. For mines and other remote locales, private 5G is expected to bring new levels of performance and reliability to these more challenging settings.

Private 5G vs Wi-Fi

While both private 5G and Wi-Fi can work together and make network services such as internet access available wirelessly, they have some key differences.

It's important to note that 5G isn't intended to replace Wi-Fi. Each technology has unique advantages depending on settings and use cases.

Wi-Fi is a familiar standard, and one that millions of endpoints in organizations worldwide can use daily. Wi-Fi infrastructure is relatively inexpensive to install and manage. However, Wi-Fi has limitations in its usefulness as a standalone solution for connectivity:

Security

Threats such as malware may only need to steal or spoof credentials to gain access to networks. Private 5G communications are encrypted, and an appropriate SIM card must be present in the endpoint device to enable access.

Coverage

Wi-Fi deployments can be complex and cost-prohibitive in large usage areas such as airports or event venues, given the high number of endpoints needed. In remote areas where comprehensive Wi-Fi infrastructure does not exist, 5G and 4G can offer greater coverage without wiring.

Performance

Both Wi-Fi and 5G operate on shared spectrums. Wi-Fi can experience performance challenges in terms of how it shares bandwidth across connected devices; in addition, Wi-Fi is more prone to interference and usage-based fluctuations. The number of access point handoffs can cause lags and dropouts.

In theory, Wi-Fi is capable of 5G's performance. In reality, Wi-Fi isn't able to offer the same reliability and performance guarantees that 5G can provide, such as low latency, faster speed, and greater bandwidth.

The best way to compare private 5G and Wi-Fi is to see how they will both have a role to play in supporting enterprises and organizations in the future. Most of today's computing devices work very well on Wi-Fi connections, although the same devices—if equipped for 5G—can often operate many times faster via 5G connection.