7 private 5G vendors for businesses

Wi-Fi vs. private 5G: How they compare for enterprise use

Many organizations that have long used Wi-Fi know it's not always the right wireless option for a given situation. Think about one use case: stadiums during major sporting events. The Wi-Fi radio frequency environment can become a cesspool of interference from the thousands of personal hotspots in the pockets of fans and the media, leaving stadium operations and critical devices like coaching intercoms unusable. This is just one scenario where private 5G shines with its own spectrum and protocols outside the chaos of Wi-Fi.

CBRS is a Federal Communications Commission-designated 150 MHz of spectrum in the 3.5 GHz band that underpins many, but not all, private 5G networks at a far lower cost than licensed cellular networks. While public cellular networks can support private 5G, using them can get pricey and eliminates the option of handling all your wireless needs in-house.

Any private 5G spectrum offering will yield a slew of advantages, including range, resilience, security, predictability and lower latency. Consumers can also expect AI-enabled cloud management, specialized radio hardware and mobile core components specific to private 5G, plus microservice capabilities -- but also somewhat limited spectrum space for client devices.

Vertical industries currently benefitting from private 5G include port operations, airports, manufacturing, mining, power utilities and other environments that need strong wireless backhaul or client connectivity where Wi-Fi isn't the right fit. Private 5G is least suitable in carpeted spaces where Wi-Fi is already deeply entrenched. For organizations that have realized that wireless technology is situation-specific, the new normal is to use Wi-Fi, private 5G and other IoT-specific wireless technologies simultaneously, with each chosen to meet specific requirements.

Prominent vendors with private 5G offerings

Here, listed alphabetically, are seven private 5G vendors you should know about.

1. AT&T

This cellular giant has cultivated a range of CBRS and private 5G options. The company combines its large market footprint and mobile network expertise to enable capable client devices to roam seamlessly from the private side to the carrier side of AT&T, where appropriate. It also has partnerships with companies like Ericsson, Nokia, Microsoft, IBM and Google to provide the various shadings of its offerings. There isn't a lot of public-facing information on how AT&T builds out its individual private 5G environments, so you'll need to contact the company for more details.

2. Celona

Unlike bigger companies on the list, Celona's only product line is private 5G options for local access or neutral host applications, the latter of which refers to shared infrastructure that a neutral host company owns and leases to different mobile network providers. Celona's cloud-based Orchestrator is the AI-driven management platform that controls the company's Edge core appliance for integration with the customer's LAN, with Celona access points rounding out the platform. The Edge is offered as a physical appliance or virtual instance, which provides flexibility for different situations.

Celona promises that single-vendor, end-to-end private 5G implementation makes for faster deployment and touts a wide range of network feature permutations with massive scalability.

3. Cisco

Like AT&T, Cisco seeks to take advantage of its well-known brand to get in on the private 5G market. Other legacy network companies, like Juniper, are doing something similar by either developing their own in-house private 5G network components or forming alliances with 5G hardware companies.

Cisco sells several routers in its Integrated Services Routers (ISR) series that, along with its ruggedized industrial routers, can support private 5G core operations. Beyond the core, Cisco has a range of modules and edge radio devices that can be cloud-managed in-house or through an MSP. Cisco has always been about providing single-vendor choices, and its private 5G products adhere to that philosophy.

4. Ericsson

It stands to reason that Ericsson, one of the true pioneers of cellular innovation, has private 5G offerings. Like all the vendors on the list, it sells cloud-managed, mobile core-to-edge components that can be used for a wide range of purposes. One differentiating aspect of the Ericsson private 5G story is its 2020 acquisition of Cradlepoint, which added the wireless provider's well-regarded line of cellular routers to Ericsson's portfolio. When Cradlepoint mobile routers are used in other vendors’ private 5G products, Ericsson gets a piece of the action, even when it isn't providing the central mobile infrastructure.

5. JMA

Like Celona, JMA is a pure-play private 4G and 5G provider that works with a customer's existing LAN or wireless LAN environment to bring cellular connectivity to a range of IoT scenarios and beyond. JMA pioneered component virtualization to reduce hardware complexity in private 5G as well as in distributed antenna system applications, which involve the deployment of groups of antennas to bring cellular coverage to densely populated buildings. The company has also developed its own solid line of products, including radio-layer components and specialized antennas for indoor and outdoor private 5G applications.

6. Nokia

Along with Ericcson, Nokia holds its own in the annals of cellular history with a long-established presence outside the private wireless realm. Nokia claims to have built the first private cellular network back in 2011, and it has strong private 5G market leadership with its Digital Automation Cloud (DAC). As with other vendors, the basic elements of Nokia's private 5G offerings include a cloud management platform -- in this case, Nokia DAC Manager -- along with in-house-developed mobile core and radio offerings in combinations designed for specific private 5G use cases.

7. Samsung

Samsung's private 5G line of products parallels the others on the list, with proprietary AI-enabled cloud management of mobile core devices and radio access network components, as well as orchestration specific to the needs of client devices for specific situations. Samsung generally refers to its offering as Private 5G Cloud.

What to look for in a private 5G vendor

Given that private 5G deployments are designed to satisfy operational requirements, the first thing you need from a vendor is for them to understand your goals. If the vendor is talking at you instead of with you, it's a relationship red flag. It's fine if a vendor helps you decide what the final setup might look like to achieve your operational requirements with the least cost and complexity, but if the vendor offers a one-size-fits-all approach that doesn't feel right, move along.

It is also important to investigate whether a vendor has longevity, now that private 4G and 5G have been available for several years. Every company had to be new at some point, but you might not want to be someone's guinea pig. Look for real reference accounts that parallel your own case, at a similar scale, and think about how the vendors you're considering might adapt to the future uses you envision.

Also weigh the lifecycle aspects and flexibility of any offerings that interest you. How much of the current option is software-upgradable versus requiring ripping out and replacing the hardware? Are dual-power supplies available for critical components? Are there DC power options where you need them?

As with other networking technologies, not all private 5G packages are equal, so you should do your homework.

Lee Badman is a network architect specializing in wireless and cloud technologies for a large private university. He's also an author and frequent presenter at industry events.