PRIVATE LTE AND 5G FILL THE Gap FOR MISSION-CRITICAL APPLICATIONS
Private LTE and 5G offer the promise of managing diverse networks to do everything companies need simultaneously, even in operationally intensive environments—from low-power, low-bit-rate sensors to business-critical functions like control of autonomous vehicles, voice communication and high-performance video. This is possible because hybrid networks can be configured or “sliced” via software, which leads to much more pervasive network integration for all connected things.
While mobile network operators have invested vast sums of capital into research and development of new 5G networks, large-scale public rollout remains fragmented. Costly infrastructure, spectrum allocation and management complexity are all stalling 5G deployment and adoption. At the same time, the public carrier networks that will support mobile phones and Internet hotspots are not suitable for the performance and security needs of mission critical enterprise systems.
The key architects of this new Private LTE and 5G network ecosystem will need to understand how to create whole new markets by enabling three critical dimensions:
1) Platforms that address the needs of the many and diverse vertical industries
2) Broad product portfolios that include a wide variety of processing, connectivity, security and interoperability capabilities
3) Diverse alliances and partnerships to enable a wide range of capabilities, including network management, software development tools and vertical application solutions, among others
Predictions of wireless sensors enabling autonomous robots, conveyors, forklifts and much more have been in abundant supply for years now. Deployment, however, has been much slower than expected due to a wide range of technical constraints, conservative buyers faced with unclear ROI, and support limitations that have inhibited integrating devices in mission critical operations at the edge of networks.
Users and customers expect networked devices to be functional, ubiquitous, and easy-to-use. But the first two expectations run counter to the third. In order to achieve all three, diverse networks must be fully integrated, and that’s where the promise of wireless has yet to be fulfilled. Private 5G capabilities achieve this integration by virtualizing network functions that formerly relied on custom hardware—typically installed at the customer’s place of business—into software-defined functions that can run on standard COTS hardware anywhere on the network.
A prime example of this is “network slicing,” which isolates an end-to-end network tailored to the specific requirements of a specific application for a specified period of time. This allows a “slice” to align portions of the spectrum to device-specific performance requirements, such as priority lanes for critical devices, low latency/mission-critical operations, high bandwidth apps, and so on. When a given logical slice of the network is no longer needed, its underlying resources are released back into the available hardware-based pool. The full potential of network slicing has yet to be realized for enterprises, however, due to the complexity of the technology and its management requirements.
By contrast, the existing approaches have proven cumbersome and costly to apply, with many conflicting protocols, incomplete component-based solutions, and poor support. The challenges of using existing WLAN and WWAN networks like WiFi, public cellular, satellite, or even LPWAN for Smart Systems, include:
- Lack of robust connectivity, creating variable throughput in instances of high network traffic
- Increasing device density which creates significant strain on macro networks and WiFi, driving increased capital allocation for distributed antenna systems, additional access points, and carrier-based small cell deployments
- Unreliable network handoff and the significant potential for interference with heavy metal and concrete structures and other equipment prevalent in commercial and mission critical environments, as well as radio interference with the broad array of ISM band traffic
To mitigate these issues, venue owners are forced to increase investment in costly infrastructure, integration, and management of WLAN networks
Traditional public cellular wide-area networks are supported by multiple macro-cell base stations. Private LTE/5G networks, by contrast, are set up like a traditional local area network, using dedicated small cells to support holistic coverage of a site or geographic area. Thus, private cellular networks can offer service-level agreements (SLAs) that guarantee bandwidth and latency for critical communications that are not possible with current Wi-Fi solutions. And because 5G will predominantly run on a licensed band, its service is interference-free, unlike Wi-Fi. For all these reasons, private networks enable greater coverage, flexibility and management to support evolving needs of all types of enterprises and institutions from industrial manufacturing, mining, and oil and gas, to warehouses, ports and smart cities.
Private 5G offers enhanced network performance with cost effective, scalable and secure network capabilities, ultimately improving coverage and capacity. These factors, along with the ever-increasing need for robust connectivity, are contributing to the evolution of network technology toward an ecosystem of shared operational data across human and device networks. Additional features and benefits include:
- Quality of service and predictable latency, configurable in software
- Seamless mobility to support service continuity between small cells and other networks
- The ability to roam between private and public networks
- Efficient co-existence with other spectrum users such as Wi-Fi
- Higher performance in terms of capacity and throughput, yielding superior payloads than traditional WiFi, similar to WiFi 6
- Fewer required nodes while supporting enhanced interference management capabilities, thereby reducing costs with a greater network footprint per access point
Ultimately, adoption of smart connected systems utilizing next generation wireless technologies is no longer a “luxury.” Private 5G is increasingly needed to meet the growing demands of the very competitive arenas that constitute industrial and mission critical domains.