Ericsson says its new private 5G platform will make it easier and faster to deploy on-site cellular connectivity and allow operator partners to diversify their revenue streams beyond mobile broadband.
A private cellular network is one that provides dedicated access to a specific customer, using either licensed, unlicensed or shared spectrum, with no resources shared by any third party.
By pursuing this route, customers can define the scale, pace of rollout, and technology used, while guaranteeing a certain level of performance for their applications.
Ericsson 5G private
Private 5G can be built with or without the assistance of an operator and IDC predicts Demand for private cellular networking equipment to support mission critical applications will see the market reach $5.7 billion by 2024.
Although many businesses have deployed private 4G networks, the ultrafast speeds, greater capacity, and ultra-low latency mean mission-critical business applications can be powered by a mobile network for the first time.
Such qualities will also pave the way for the creation of new, revolutionary use cases. These include the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT), robotics and Mixed Reality, all of which require reliable, real-time transmission of data.
‘Ericsson Private 5G’ (which also supports LTE) is pitched as a scalable, flexible platform for private network deployment that can be installed within hours at any site. It can be scaled to support a greater number of devices or a wider coverage area and is managed by cloud-based network management. Crucially, for mission-critical applications, the platform has zero downtime upgrades and is backed by Service Level Agreements (SLA).
A number of industries have been targeted, in including manufacturing, mining and process industries, offshore and power utilities, ports and airports, but Ericsson says the platform can be used by any business and can be tailored to meet individual requirements.
“With Ericsson Private 5G, we take the best of Ericsson’s current portfolio and top it up with the best of our new technology,” declared Thomas Noren, Head of Dedicated Networks, Business Area Technologies and New Businesses at Ericsson.
“We do this to give businesses what they need to improve productivity, enable new offerings and give employees a better working environment. With Ericsson Private 5G, we also give operators a better way to serve business customers and leverage their assets – in short, to grow beyond mobile broadband.”