Commercial 5G private network deployments are beginning to show early signs of gaining traction, with telcos and tech companies worldwide busy partnering to create new ecosystems. Now they are being joined by governments that want to encourage innovative solutions for vertical markets.
Governments step in to bolster 5G private network partnerships
Commercial 5G private network deployments are beginning to show early signs of gaining traction, with telcos and tech companies worldwide busy partnering to create new ecosystems. Now they are being joined by governments that want to encourage innovative solutions for vertical markets. The French and German governments have announced they are jointly funding four 5G application projects to the tune of 17.7 million euros. The projects will explore how 5G private network and application ecosystems can support healthcare and manufacturing, as well as 5G campus networks. The governments say their aim is to deliver “innovative solutions that will strengthen Europe’s ecosystem for private networks in the field of 5G telecommunications”. In Australia, Telstra and Ericsson have teamed up to deliver a live 5G private network based on Ericsson’s private wireless connectivity platform to AgriFood Connect, an Australian not-for-profit organization that aims to accelerate technology adoption in the agriculture and manufacturing industries. The on-premises dedicated 5G network for enterprises uses a single-server 5G dual mode core for both LTE and 5G standalone (SA). In the US, meanwhile, Verizon is preparing the terrain through a new partnership with Atos to “power intelligent IoT solutions with private 5G multi-access edge computing”. Their joint solution aims, among other things, to give businesses and governments access to large-scale cloud and AI-powered data analytics, including video analytics, to improve decision-making and remove points of failure. The move follows on from Verizon’s agreements last year to work with Google and Ericsson on 5G edge and private mobile edge computing, as well as with Amazon Web Services. But such moves do not necessarily mean 5G private network deployments are about to ramp up this year. Verizon is also busy with rolling out 5G ultrawideband connectivity services to consumers and businesses. A report published by NTT in December, based on a survey of 216 CIOs and senior decision-makers from the UK, US, Japan and Germany, suggests that 5G private network deployments are in the immediate offing. However, the number of networks in operation remains relatively low for now. Almost a quarter of all respondents said they are piloting private 5G networks, however, only 6% have implemented at least one operational private 5G network. The percentage of companies piloting private 5G was highest in Germany, at 33%, followed by Japan (24%), and the UK (22%). US companies came last with 17%. However, US respondents led when it came to operational private 5G networks, with 9.3% of companies reporting deployments, followed by 7% of German enterprises. In contrast approximately 39% of respondents reported having piloted or deployed private 4G networks. However, the report found that 90% of all those surveyed expect private 5G to become the standard network choice. And of those planning to deploy a 5G network, 51% intended to do so within the next six to 24 months, with security, reliability and speed among the drivers.