Private 5G networks are being touted as a kind of silver bullet for business problems across a wide range of vertical markets. That said, adoption has been slower than expected, with wide regional variations based primarily on spectrum availability, and several obstacles remain to expansion. Consider a global company with offices in multiple countries seeking unified management of multiple private 5G networks. So what is the way forward? And are there solutions to the scale problem that will fuel the market? We spoke during our recent Industrial 5G Forum (available on demand here) convened a panel of experts to parse related questions in search of answers to this lingering problem of magnitude. It is worth noting that the main benefit of private 5G is that it can be customized for specific industries. Certain businesses and certain applications return to the age-old tension between customization and replicability.
Verizon has a deal with the NFL to provide dedicated cell phones for NFL coaches to talk to each other on the field. The deal covers all 30 NFL stadiums and extends to international venues where the NFL hosts games.last time RCR Wireless News A laboratory opened in San Francisco conducts communication between Verizon and Coach, and an LTE network is in operation. But to be fair, the lessons he learned about scaling up also apply to 5G. Brian Mecum, Verizon’s vice president of device technology and his 5G sports innovation, said the venue rollout would be “significantly more significant” based on “the need for leagues to ensure consistent connectivity for game operations between sites.” “We are observing a significant increase,” he said. Regarding the technology provided to the NFL, Mecum said, “This is a self-contained private network that uses communication units built to operate on top of a cellular network, so it’s wireless, so coaches can sit on the side without any resistance.” You can walk around the line.”
Mecum also solicited interest from various promoter sports leagues, collegiate athletics organizations and other potential customers. “Private has a lot of interest in his network, and of course it needs to be scalable. But we’re going to be across multiple sites.” He mentioned various purchasing models. “It’s starting almost everywhere,” he said.
Are we talking about SNPN or PNI-NPN (in 3GPP terminology)?
Thierry Berizot, who leads the 3GPP worksite and is also a board member of EUWENA, a professional organization that helps companies better collaborate with commercial mobile operators and other stakeholders, said that there are important questions regarding 3GPP nomenclature. I made a distinction. The standards body is dividing the private 5G space into two big buckets. A standalone non-public network (SNPN) is a purely private network that has no direct contact with a carrier’s network. Public Network Integrated Non-Public Network (PNI-NPN) leverages some elements of a carrier’s public network, including an evolved packet core and a cloud-native 5G core. “There are pros and cons to both,” Beriso says.
Throughout his commentary, Beriso reiterated the need for strong standards that support scaling of either type of private 5G, and seamless roaming to allow users to access both types of private 5G networks, public networks, satellite networks, etc. I envisioned a future where it would be accessible. Regarding the difference between SNPN and PNI-NPN, he said the former is often the result of enterprises needing network support for very specific use cases, whereas the latter is more “technology-driven.” He suggested that it was a type. I want to introduce 5G. In conclusion, he says, integrated private networks are less scalable than standalone private networks because they rely on relationships with operators that can be limited by geography and other gating factors.
As for the gating element, “spectrum availability, that’s the main issue,” Beriso said. He noted that some regions, such as the UK and Germany, have made dedicated spectrum available to private company networks. However, this is not uniform across Europe. Additionally, for countries that choose to provide spectrum to companies, there is no cross-border coordination regarding available frequencies. “Without spectrum, private networks cannot be deployed,” he said. “We are still relying on purely MNO-driven solutions…that is a problem.” And in Europe, “there is no harmonized spectrum at all. Each country allocates and offers different frequency bands for private use.” …If you don’t have frequency band harmonization, you can’t scale,” he said.
Private 5G and roaming details
Berisotto pointed out that when a standalone private network interacts with a public network, for example in a non-MNO-led scenario, roaming from an SPN to a public network becomes more difficult. Because why would an operator that is not financially involved prioritize it? “It’s rather a question of interaction between different networks, between public networks and private networks,” he said. “It’s a question of network choice… There are some solutions, but they’re proprietary.” Zooming out, or better yet, scaling up, Beriso said: “This is not only an issue of roaming and interconnection between private and public, but also between two or more private networks…We need to address this issue effectively.”
Francesco Militano works in Ericsson’s Dedicated Networks business, but in this session he was primarily active in a different capacity as part of the MulteFire Alliance (MFA). MFA has long advocated for the deployment of private mobile phone networks in the unlicensed spectrum. Everyone says this is a great idea, but outside of Japan there was already a sample of available spectrum and compatible devices, and it wasn’t necessarily an expanded technology. Mr. Militano highlighted work on MFA’s Global PLM (Check This) ID program, all the way to the point of roaming. This will assign you a “unique network identifier”. This is “important to ensure the correct devices are connected.”
In the context of expanding private 5G and ensuring appropriate roaming/interconnection mechanisms and unified management, Militano gave the following example: Businesses see it as one network…For me, it’s important to think that SIM cards and devices work seamlessly at each site. No matter where your devices are located, they need to be able to connect seamlessly across your global footprint. ”
Back to Mecum, which provides a carrier perspective on all of this. He acknowledged the technical challenges around simplifying private 5G, maintaining quality of service, standalone private networks and more carrier-dependent solutions, and all that spectrum. “Spectrum is becoming more and more difficult as consumption increases, interest increases, and more people want to dial in and have their own private networks.” For questions about enterprise scaling, Mecum He rightly pointed out that all the challenges mentioned can indeed be solved. [enterprises] I want to invest. ” said the big picture. “I think we can overcome all of them, but it’s very simple. You have to choose what you want to pursue and work with a company or carrier that has the ability to provide it.”
