“We’ve brought together everything that an enterprise needs to deploy a private cellular network. And we’ve made it much simpler so that network administrators can easily deploy it. And we’re taking a big step to integrate this into HP Aruba Networking Central, because our customers have asked us to be able to manage both their Wi-Fi and their private 5G and their wired networks in one place. This will enable access to IoT data, this will enable access to AI inference and everything at the edge,” said Gail Levin, head of wireless product marketing at HPE.
Hewlett Packard Enterprise on Monday announced new HPE Aruba Networking Enterprise Private 5G technologies aimed at making private 5G networks as easy to deploy and manage as current Wi-Fi networks.
Gail Levin, head of wireless product marketing at HPE, said HPE Aruba Networking Enterprise Private 5G is based on Athonet, a private cellular provider that HPE acquired in 2023. Athonet’s technology has been market-proven for 15 years with 500 customers.
“We’ve integrated everything that an enterprise needs to deploy a private cellular network,” Levin told CRN, “and we’ve made it simpler so that network administrators can easily deploy it. And we’re taking a big step toward integrating it into HP Aruba Networking Central because our customers have told us they want to manage both Wi-Fi and private 5G and their wired networks in one place. This gives you access to IoT data, gives you access to AI inference and everything at the edge.”
[Related: HPE Aruba: Wi-Fi 7 Launch Lays ‘The Foundation’ To Power Advanced AI, IoT Services]
Assonet’s technology will also continue to be available as a standalone product for both 4G and 5G, Levin said.
“But for Aruba customers, we offer an integrated solution that has it all,” she said, “We have the servers, the small cells, the SIM cards, and even the SAS (Spectrum Access System) that we need to protect incumbents, so they don’t have to get it from the carriers if they want to use CBRS (Citizens Broadband Radio Service) shared spectrum in the U.S.”
While Wi-Fi remains a useful technology, there are times when it’s not optimal and private 5G could solve the need for additional connectivity to Wi-Fi, Levin said.
5G technology is deterministic and the infrastructure manages the quality of service, so it can be used for very high-precision applications, she said. In addition, a single cellular access point (small cell) can cover a larger area than a Wi-Fi access point, making it convenient for outdoor use or in large spaces such as warehouses.
“It also supports higher speeds than Wi-Fi,” she says. “If you think about your cell phone, it’s designed to work in a moving car, but Wi-Fi is designed for pedestrian speeds. If you have a robot in the middle of a warehouse, it’s an autonomous vehicle. You don’t want it to stop for a handoff?”
Levin said Wi-Fi traffic segmentation is also an issue in large arenas and stadiums, areas where fans use a lot of Wi-Fi to get a great fan experience.
“They’re sending videos, they’re doing online quizzes and all kinds of interactive stuff,” she says, “so they need a separate network that can handle the back office applications, the ticketing, the optical scanners for ticketing, making sure the beer salespeople can do their jobs. So private cellular can complement this very well, and we’re seeing private cellular work very well in places like manufacturing and airports.”
Aruba Networking Enterprise Private 5G also helps simplify a lot of the complexities involved in deploying private 5G, Levin said. Traditionally, mobile operators have had to acquire spectrum, which was time-consuming and costly, he said. Many of the solutions were designed for operators, not enterprises, and required specific resources to manage the private 5G network, he said.
“Our goal is to make private 5G as easy to manage as Wi-Fi,” she says, “and we’re also using underlicensed spectrum that can be secured without a full spectrum license. This allows us to scale. It’s easy to use. It’s something that companies can manage on their own. This allows for replication at scale.”
Traditionally, deploying a private 5G network would have required up to seven separate vendors for dashboards, radio management, spectrum access systems and SIM cards, Levin said.
“We’re trying to bring HP Aruba Networking Enterprise Private 5G to one vendor,” she says. “It’s an end-to-end product that integrates everything you need to deploy a cellular network. It’s deployed using one or two HPE ProLiant servers for redundancy. And our new product is the small cell. We’re working with the same ODM that we use for the access points to deliver the small cell so that we can manage it end-to-end.”
HPE is trying to bring HPE Aruba Networking Enterprise Private 5G as close as possible to its own Wi-Fi products to make it easier for channel partners to deploy, Levin said.
“They need to leverage their existing knowledge of RF management and understand how to deploy 5G at customer sites,” she says. “It’s about learning how the two complement each other, what the use cases are, and how to have use-case-driven discussions. The pricing is the same as HPE’s Wi-Fi offerings and includes a capital expenditure component that includes HPE ProLiant servers and small cells, plus a subscription that brings all the software pieces together. Subscriptions for the hardware will be provided as they become available through HPE GreenLake.”
The first iteration of HPE Aruba Networking Enterprise Private 5G is expected to be available in October.
Mike Owen, chief technology officer at BearCom, a Garland, Texas-based systems integrator and HPE Aruba channel partner, said Aruba with private 5G is targeting Industry 4.0, a real growth market for wireless connectivity with a focus on automation.
“Automation, machine-to-machine development and experience, requires you to rethink your processes and how you do things within your organization and put systems in place that allow you to be more effective. That’s where the real impact is,” Owen told CRN. “That’s the competitive advantage that any organization has over others.”
The first potential uses for HPE Aruba Networking Enterprise Private 5G will be in manufacturing, warehousing, distribution and any other sector with a focus on automation, Owen said.
“Wi-Fi has been around for a long time, and we’re not saying Wi-Fi is going away,” he said, “but customers want dedicated networks, and 5G is what delivers that. Private 5G networks allow you to do things that Wi-Fi can’t. For example, 5G networks are inherently more secure, and you don’t need to add on a ton of security aspects to have a secure RF environment.”
When it comes to automation, private 5G has a big advantage over Wi-Fi, Owen says: “It offers better coverage than Wi-Fi and overcomes the issue of RF tracking as automated equipment moves around the area.”
“You’re dealing with an environment that wasn’t designed for RF,” he says. “Wi-Fi can do a really good job, but with Wi-Fi you have to be super dense. With LTE, you have a little more flexibility in how you cover the RF space.”
