Private Networking 101

Your introduction to the world of private wireless networks

The topic of private wireless is an area of increasing interest. As an introductory overview of the subject, let’s take a look at the following:

• Target industries for private wireless suppliers
• The co-existence of private wireless with wi-fi
• General deployment considerations around private networking
• Nokia’s value-add and market positioning

The industries that stand to benefit most from private networks

Certain industries are in position to benefit greatly from the introduction and growing prevalence of private wireless networking. These poster-child use cases include:

1. Port management and mining. Private networks within mining operations have already led to a 40 per cent improvement in worker safety. With the ultra-fast throughput and low latency of 5G, that figure could double.
2. Industry 4.0 is a buzzword around machine-to-machine communication and process automation. But the majority of non-carpeted enterprise and OT environments are currently a mish-mash of wireless technology. Cellular connectivity is poised to be a serious disruptor in this space.
3. Integrating technology, cloudification and connectivity can improve farming and ranching and lead to bigger crop yields and livestock yields.
4. Energy and utility grid management.

Can 4G, 5G and wi-fi co-exist?

As we move forward into the 5G era, there will be many ways in which a large number of devices on a network can be supported more efficiently – particularly on the carpeted side of an enterprise.

However, that is not to say that cellular technology will simply replace wi-fi. Wi-fi is tried and tested and has a very large footprint – and, given that it leverages unlicensed spectrum, it is inherently less expensive.

Cellular technology will be able to complement systems in the non-carpeted environments of an enterprise, where things have been less well connected. The conclusion has to be that wi-fi, 4G and 5G will work well together.

Broad range of options available – one size does not fit all

The key consideration when it comes to deploying private networks is that there is no right or wrong answer. One size definitely does not fit all.

There are several options:

• Purchasing your own equipment and installing it yourself
• Working with an operator, such as AT&T, T-Mobile or Verizon, that provides private networking solutions
• Using it as a cloudified or managed service. There are companies offering PWaaS.

Much depends on how savvy your company’s IT team is. Additionally, you may not want to treat this as a Capex expense and would rather treat it as an operational expense. The good news is that there are several options available to enterprises wishing to deploy private networks.

Where does Nokia stand in the market in terms of its value-add?

Independent experts have noted that Nokia has invested more heavily than its traditional competitors such as Huawei, Ericsson and Samsung. The Nokia enterprise business unit has been busy for some time and has achieved several hundred customer wins.

Inevitably, those competitors will continue to advance their propositions. However, the current conclusion is that, with its experience and the IP assets at its disposal, Nokia is leading the charge in terms of the capabilities available when it comes to private wireless networking.

For more information: Private wireless | Nokia

To listen to our other episodes: Nokia Private Wireless audio library | Nokia