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Private 5G, a network as dedicated as you are

Private 5G, a network as dedicated as you are

Private Networks

Put the power in your own hands with a private cellular network. Accelerate your digital transformation and build a secure foundation for the journey ahead with reliable, secure and agile connectivity that offers a new level of control and possibility.

What is a private network?

In telecom, a private network is a dedicated network that utilizes cellular connectivity (either 4G LTE or 5G standalone) within a defined geographic area to support business and mission-critical requirements of the network owner - whether that's a business, industry, government or other body.

Private cellular networks are often deployed when reliable, secure, mobile connectivity are key for operations or service delivery, but security or coverage factors rule out the use of Wi-Fi or public cellular networks.

What is a private network?
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Wi-Fi vs. Private 5G vs. Public 5G

Wi-Fi

  • Convenient short-range, high-speed internet over unlicensed spectrum.
  • Fairly easy to deploy, relatively low cost and simple to manage, as IT staff are familiar with it.
  • In certain environments, coverage can be unreliable for business-critical operations — particularly where mobility is required or in device-heavy, and outdoor environments.
  • Challenges with mobility where clients “stick” to a specific radio, leading to unreliable connectivity for portable use cases.
  • Less secure for data and protecting access to business operations as it lacks the SIM authentication and security configurations and policies of cellular networks.

Private 5G networks

  • Like a scaled-down, private-use version of a public cellular network, but with distinct advantages for certain use cases.
  • Leverage licensed spectrum or sometimes shared spectrum.
  • Deliver the greatest speed with dependable lower latency.
  • Superior coverage in diverse environments, both indoors and outdoors.
  • Offer the most security, data privacy and control over what devices or users can access the network, its data and components.

Public 5G networks

  • High-performance connectivity, even when mobility and heavy data requirements come into play.
  • With licensed spectrum and more powerful radios, cellular coverage spans much larger areas, especially outdoors.
  • Reliability or availability can be an issue in certain locations or during times of high traffic congestion.
  • Deterministic, meaning the network core makes the traffic decisions, allowing greater control than Wi-Fi.
  • Recognized as a more secure wireless technology, though sometimes not secure enough for sensitive business data or privacy needs.

These connectivity options each play unique but complementary roles in today’s digital landscape, with the best solution often being a hybrid – a combination of solutions to address different needs in the most efficient and cost-effective way.

What are the benefits of private networks?

Improved performance

Dedicated resources for greater reliability, lower latency, higher bandwidth and minimized signal delay between devices - crucial for robotics, autonomous vehicles or mission-critical operations.

Greater mobility

Seamless wireless coverage over a range of environments, inside and out, gives your connected devices the power to roam, smoothly navigating a busy shipping port or your factory floor.

Superior coverage

Enables seamless coverage in various environments, including indoors, outdoors and on-the-move as devices move within the network, facilitating connectivity for machines and workers alike.

Scalability

Private networks can be expanded as business needs grow, allowing companies to adapt easily without compromising performance. This includes transitioning from 4G to 5G as needs evolve.

Customization

Can be tailored to meet the specific needs of a business, industry, utility or government, optimizing for factors like coverage, capacity and performance depending on the use case.

Enhanced security

Private networks offer a meticulous level of control over data and permitted devices on the network, restricting access to authorized users only and reducing the risk of security breaches.

4G or 5G? Private networks across generations

Similar to comparing private cellular with public and Wi-Fi, the choice between 4G connectivity and 5G also comes down the use case in question. Private 5G networks are able to transform industries by offering ultra-low latency, high bandwidth and support for massive IoT. They enable advanced automation, smart factories and real-time analytics through network slicing and mission-critical services. But not all applications require these capabilities.

In some cases where only reliable connectivity is the concern, 4G connectivity might be enough to meet their needs. In addition, many enterprises and industries still use legacy devices that are only compatible with 4G, and they may not be ready to refresh these yet. In these cases, future-proofing is a vital consideration.

If a need to upgrade to 5G-supported devices, or support real-time, high-demand applications for uses like industrial IoT and automation is likely in the future, it's important to choose a private network solution that can effortlessly transition from 4G to 5G. It’s even worth thinking further ahead to 6G – to a solution that's ready to support near-zero latency and deep AI integration driving innovations like real-time digital twins, fully autonomous systems and advanced mixed reality.

4G or 5G? Private networks across generations - teaser

Private 5G use cases and applications

Two broader areas in which private networks are primarily used today are for enterprises or industries and for mission-critical services. Yet even within each industry, every situation is different. Their needs vary so much, it's impossible to have a one-size-fits-all solution. In fact, private networks vary in size from the smallest business office or factory to spanning across a whole nation. Despite this, there are four main use case categories in which private networks are currently seeing the greatest uptake and value.

Connecting workers

With private 5G connectivity, workers can be augmented with technologies, allowing them to perform meaningful tasks more effectively. Smart hardware like hand-held devices gives workers uninterrupted access to critical information in real-time, enabling them to make quick decisions and manage tasks and operations precisely. Immersive technologies such as smart glasses can also offer seamless communication and coordination, or visual guidance to enhance the accuracy of tasks or improve safety and productivity.

Automating operations

Enabled by private networks, a diverse range of connected devices can move smoothly and safely around a site without interruptions from handovers, dead zones or network delays. Leveraging 5G, collaborative robots (cobots), automated mobile robots (AMRs) and automated guided vehicles (AGVs) can efficiently move materials with speed and reliability inside or outside of a production facility. By optimizing routes and adapting to obstacles, they ensure agile, responsive and accurate material movement.

Operations visibility

Continuous monitoring of assets and equipment can help anticipate failures before they occur using data analytics and machine learning, resulting in less unscheduled downtime. With private networks, smart factories can tap into the vast data streams created within their own operations, using sensors, computer vision systems and digital twins to enable predictive maintenance and enhance asset tracking, safety and physical security, environmental monitoring and quality assurance.

Mission-critical communications

Mission-critical communications is an important category for private networks, with use cases including vital services such as public safety, government and defense, railways, power grids and water utilities. Private networks are built to ensure continuity of service and access to high-quality communication in these cases, even when things go wrong. With 5G, new use cases are also enabled, such as augmented and virtual reality (AR and VR), AGVs, cloud robotics and real-time remote control of machines.

Enabling innovative technologies and opportunities

Industries evolving with private networks

Private network solutions, with their reliability, coverage and security, are ideal for meeting the demands of complex and industrial operating environments such as in manufacturing, mining, energy utilities, offshore & processing industries, ports, airports, trains, logistics, smart cities and healthcare, to name just a few. You can explore some of these in more depth below.

Manufacturing

Private cellular networks are unlocking the potential of Industry 4.0, and making connected manufacturing equipment a reality.

Airports

Today’s airports are fast embracing new solutions as they evolve into smarter operations.

Warehousing and logistics

The future of smart warehousing and logistics needs connectivity. Private 5G networks enables a new generation of advanced use cases and smart solutions.

Mining

Private cellular networks are supplying the enhanced connectivity to reach deep into any mine, allowing for safer, more productive, and sustainable mining operations.

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Seaports

A port augmented with a private cellular network can fully automate its operations, creating a more efficient digitally connected harbor of the future.

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Offshore and Processing

Private networks and 5G technology are fundamental to industrial digitalization and achieving net zero emission commitments, as well as creating safer environments for connected workers.

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Featured customer stories

Improving maritime safety and efficiency at the Port of Tyne

Learn how the Port of Tyne, one of the UK’s major deep-sea ports, is transforming the maritime industry and advancing its vision for a green, smart port by driving new levels of safety, efficiency and environmental sustainability with a site-wide private 5G wireless network – the first in the UK.

Epiroc collaborating to build the mine of the future

Discover how Epiroc are collaborating with Ericsson to boost mine safety and productivity with private cellular technologies. By connecting their sites in a standardized architecture, they’re leading the way in making mining products, services and solutions safer, smarter and more efficient.

Transforming warehouse operations for CJ Logistics

CJ Logistics, a leading South Korean logistics company, is delivering groundbreaking enhancements and remarkable operational efficiency gains with Ericsson Private 5G. By connecting their wireless operations solely over 5G, CJ Logistics are reaching remarkable efficiency gains.

Advancing offshore digitalization with Tampnet

Explore the world’s largest offshore high-capacity communication network and learn how Tampnet deployed a private offshore 4G LTE network and IoT connectivity across 50 oil & gas rigs in the Gulf of Mexico, improving worker safety by 75 percent and saving millions from automated processes.

Shaping the future of 5G with ABB

5G is here, and its application in hundreds of different contexts is being explored in Industry 4.0 initiatives around the world. A key part of the exploration lies in industrial partnership – an opportunity for industry leaders to both benefit from tailored functionality and become a part of 5G's future.

Inside the Ericsson USA 5G Smart Factory

At the Ericsson USA 5G smart factory, we assemble the equipment that will power 5G networks across the U.S. The factory is a full-scale operation realizing the potential of 5G with Industry 4.0 to enable intelligent automation and leverage real-time data across operations.

Plan for a smooth deployment: From design to optimization

Private networks can seem quite complex – especially if you are new to cellular networking, however network management tools have risen to the occasion to simplify these complexities. Coverage and performance can be customized based on your own use cases and requirements. When getting started, it's vital to have a good strategy in place to ensure smooth deployment and integration.

There are four key steps involved in a smooth private network deployment: starting from planning and design, to setup, integration, optimizing, and scaling. Learn more about each stage in the drop-down list, or in our whitepaper on industrial private networks.

For enterprises who may find deploying a private network a daunting prospect – don’t worry, you don’t have to do it alone. With Enterprise 5G Private Networks, you'll find simplified solutions that are packaged according to your requirements and infrastructure, plus all the support and training needed to get you up and running in no time – and keep you there.

Perhaps the most important stage of deployment, this is when you’ll define your goals, assess the use case needs, and start thinking about the design of the network architecture. This includes determining coverage requirements, KPIs, devices required to support, planning for the hardware, and spectrum (if necessary).

Enterprise customers looking to learn more can also read the blog post on our Cradlepoint site about setting up a private wireless network.

Setup is when you will install and configure the infrastructure, such as radios and cellular core. This phase involves physical setup, initial network configuration, and integration into existing systems. This can vary greatly depending on the complexity of your requirements – from a simple plug-and-play solution at one site to an extensive implementation project spanning a wide area.

A close follow-on from setup, this is when you can tune the network specific to your needs. This includes setting priority for specific devices or applications, enhancing security, or identifying any network challenges.

Once everything is up and running, it’s time to further optimize, improve and expand the network as needed. This phase focuses on ongoing testing, performance tuning, adding capacity and adapting the network to changing demands or new applications – perhaps even beginning considerations or plans for a later transition to 5G and beyond, for those implementing a 4G solution for their current needs.

Learn from your peers: Gain efficiencies, improve visibility, and enhance safety with private 5G.

Explore more valuable insights and learned lessons from the field on improving operations with private 5G. Understand how private networks are used, deployed, and integrated to drive business value.

Read the white paper

What are the key components of a private 5G network?

Before you begin planning your own deployment, it can be very helpful to understand what the core components of a private network are, and what they do.

Radio Access Network - A radio access network (or RAN) includes various components which work together to transmit and receive signals back and forth between the connected devices within the network. These include access points, antennas and small cells – radio access points that can be deployed indoors or outdoors and allow routers or compatible devices to connect to the private network.

Cellular Core: Also referred to as Evolved Packet Core, this is the “brains'' of the network. The core manages and routes data traffic between devices and external networks, such as the internet or other private networks. It includes various components like switches, routers, and servers that ensure efficient data processing and transfer. It can be located on-premise or in the cloud.

Devices: These can be security cameras, machines, sensors, tablets, mobile phones or even trucks or robots – any devices which are connected to the network to provide or utilize data. These can either connect directly to a cellular radio if they have the capability (like phones or tablets with a SIM card) or indirectly via a router.

Private cellular network

Expert insights and strategic guidance

Expect more with Ericsson

We're proud to have a global offering that has secured regulatory and in-country certifications as well as global reach via carrier, channel, alliances and systems integrator partnerships. We're also committed to sharing our experience and knowledge of cellular with enterprise and industry partners via deployment and managed services support.

When you choose an Ericsson solution, you can expect reliable, robust communication that's ready to handle the high-performance demands and dynamic digital ecosystems of modern smart facilities - as well as the new exciting use cases yet to come.

Why choose Ericsson?

Performance

  • Deterministic performance with  high-availability
  • Best in class radio portfolio with 4G → 5G software upgrades and feature add-ons

Security

  • End-to-end security built in from the core to the edge and down to the device level
  • Data is more secure and inaccessible to outside parties

Simplicity

  • Single pane of  glass management  edge to core
  • Full stack and fully  unified solution with simple yet sophisticated functionality

Enterprise optimized

  • Modular design for  OT and IT organizations of all sizes
  • Optimizations for easy consumption, configuration, deployment, and scale

Customer support

  • Business and  technical enablement
  • Expert channel  partner network and ecosystem development

Private network solutions for every need

Welcome to a world of possibility with Ericsson’s private network solutions, a portfolio designed to accelerate industrial digitalization with powerful 4G LTE and 5G standalone (SA) connectivity. Whether you're operating machinery deep in a mine, or drones high overhead at an offshore oil rig, we offer secure, next-gen networks to keep you connected and firmly in control.

Our Enterprise 5G Private Network Solutions help optimize business-critical operations with smart automation, data-driven insights, elevated productivity and improved sustainability. Built on Ericsson’s industry leading 4G/5G technology, they support a wide range of use cases for seamless integration with business systems. For those in the United States, we also offer tailored enterprise solutions leveraging unique technologies such as Ericsson Enterprise 5G Coverage, a neutral host network which extends carrier network coverage into your facilities and surrounding areas, or Ericsson Private 5G Compact, an end-to-end solution which utilizes shared industry spectrum via the Citizens Broadband Radio Service (CBRS) to offer simplified, cost-effective and scalable plug-and-play deployment.

Your network, your choice

Ericsson offers a portfolio with a choice of local cellular networks. Whether it’s simple and prepackaged, or tailored and comprehensive, we have the solution for you.

Read more to find the product that works for you.

Explore our portfolio

Related technologies and offerings

Wireless WAN

Enterprise Wireless WAN routers, adapters and solutions provide organizations with the reliability, security and agility to face whatever the future holds.

Industry 4.0

The fourth industrial revolution unlocks powerful new use cases – from predictive maintenance and an augmented workforce to autonomous robots and digital twins.

Network slicing

Network slicing can be used to enable differentiated services, allowing service providers to unlock new market segments and business opportunities.

Network APIs

With network APIs, developers can easily access advanced 5G capabilities provided by service providers. This unlocks the opportunity to develop new enhanced applications and services, driving new revenue opportunities for the entire ecosystem, benefitting developers, service providers and enterprises.

Fixed wireless access

Connect underserved urban and rural areas, eliminate the need for costly fiber infrastructure, and offer more capacity for remote working and indoor use cases.

5G standalone

Explore the entry ticket to new innovative applications, services and solutions through open APIs, differentiated connectivity and service-based architecture.

Further insights

Papers and reports

Blog posts

News