Private networks

Challengers & Leaders in Gartner’s Magic Quadrant for 4G and 5G Private Mobile Network Services?

Posted on by Alan Weissberger

Here’s the chart from the Gartner report:

This author is astonished and perplexed that Gartner lumped service providers, network equipment makers and systems integrators into the same set of leaders and challengers. That’s like comparing apples to oranges to pineapples?

Steve Saunders strongly criticized the report, noting that “Five companies lead the private 5G network (equipment/software) market: Ericsson, Huawei, Nokia, Samsung, and ZTE. Challengers include Cisco, IBM, Juniper, and Mavenir (though none of them make their own 5G chips or have the same level of 5G juju as the 5G Big 5).   Gartner’s new Magic Quadrant omits six (!) of these vendors, including Huawei, whose technology underlies literally hundreds of private 5G networks.”

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Inclusion and Exclusion Criteria:

All of the following criteria was met by 15 March 2024 (the cut-off date) in order for providers to be included in this Magic Quadrant assessment:
  • At least 20 direct, deployed commercial contracts or 20 direct, deployed commercial sites (excluding POCs) for 4G and 5G private mobile network services managed by the vendor, where it is the prime contractor with the enterprise (end user)
  • At least 25% of commercial contracts (excluding POCs) for 4G and 5G private mobile
Network services managed by the vendor, where it is the prime contractor with the enterprise (end user). In case the vendor has less than 25% direct contracts, it must have at least 50 direct contracts (excluding POCs).
  • Commercial contracts in two or more regions where the vendor is the prime contractor, (excluding POCs) for 4G and 5G private mobile network services provided by the vendor. Regions are defined as follows:
    • North America
    • Latin America
    • Western Europe
    • Eastern Europe
    • Eurasia
    • Greater China
    • Emerging Asia/Pacific
    • Mature Asia/Pacific
    • Middle East and North Africa
    • Sub-Saharan Africa
    • Other
  • At least two or more commercial contracts won where the vendor is the prime contractor, (excluding POCs) for 4G and 5G private mobile network services managed by the vendor in the last 12 months
  • Provide the following capabilities defined in this Magic Quadrant as prime contractor or through a third party:
    • Network end-to-end sourcing
    • Network design
    • Implementation and integration
    • Service management and support

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Vendors were assessed based on the following:
  • Scope of the offering, and planned or ongoing investments in the following segments in terms of capabilities covered in this Magic Quadrant and specific offerings per segment, preintegrated functions with ecosystem partners, productized versus project-based offering for each segment, and geographical availability of each of the offerings (global/regional/local):
    • Dedicated/stand-alone
    • Hybrid PMN
    • PMN with core network slicing
    • Campus and level of integration with WLAN solutions
    • PMN for industrial sites including OT security capabilities and compliance
    • Multisite, including management capabilities to provide a centralized life cycle management experience for all included sites
    • PMN offering for small and midsize businesses
  • PMN-related acquisitions or strategic partnerships to add capabilities to the PMN offering
  • Radio planning and site survey capabilities
  • Modularity of the offer
  • Flexibility to offer an open partner ecosystem for core PMN elements (radio, core network, monitoring and life cycle management, edge/cloud computing infrastructure stack, SIM management)
  • Public network integration (private/public handover features)
  • Service management options (self-service, co-managed, fully managed service)
  • API capabilities
  • Bundling capabilities with other related prepackaged technologies and services such as IoT, MEC, managed mobility, cloud, security, industry-edge application
Business Model:
  • The design, logic and execution of the vendor’s business proposition to achieve continued success
  • The value proposition, revenue models, customer segmentation, distribution channels, etc.
  • Appropriate use of build/buy/partner options to maximize profitability
  • Management of customization costs
  • Use of automation to improve cost-efficiency
The vendors were assessed based on the following:
  • Scope of the spectrum offered: regulated and industrial spectrum (CBRS type)
  • Proof of concept models
  • Flexibility offering capex and opex models
  • Flexibility to bring your own partners

References:

https://www.gartner.com/doc/reprints?id=1-2J9ZQDL4&ct=241105&st=sb

https://www.fierce-network.com/wireless/op-ed-gartner-biffs-its-new-4g5g-magic-quadrant

https://www.cisco.com/c/en/us/solutions/private-5g-networks.html

https://www.celona.io/the-state-of-private-wireless

SNS Telecom & IT: Private 5G and 4G LTE cellular networks for the global defense sector is a $1.5B opportunity

SNS Telecom & IT: Private 5G Network market annual spending will be $3.5 Billion by 2027

Highlights of GSA report on Private Mobile Network Market – 3Q2024

 

 

Highlights of GSA report on Private Mobile Network Market – 3Q2024

Posted on by Alan Weissberger

According to GSA, the private mobile network market (PMNM) continued to grow in 3Q2024, as the number of unique customer references for deployments reached 1,603. The market is being driven by sectors like manufacturing, education, and mining, which use these networks for enhanced data, security and mobility needs.

On average, 71% of references included in the GSA database are non-public and unique to this database, submitted by members of the GSA Private Mobile Networks Special Interest Group (SIG). This number can be higher for certain industries, with more than 80% of sectors such as military and defense, maritime and power plants not visible in the public domain. The referenced SIG includes 16 companies: 450Alliance, 5G-ACIA, AI-Link, Airspan, Celona, Dell, Ericsson, GSMA, JMA Wireless, Keysight Technologies, Mavenir, Nokia, OnGo Alliance, OneLayer, PrivateLTEand5G.com and TCCA. GSA would like to thank its members 450Alliance, Airspan, Celona, Ericsson, Keysight Technologies, Mavenir, Nokia and OneLayer for sharing general information about their network deployments to enable this report and data set to be produced. New data has resulted in a significant uplift in this update.

Other PMNM highlights in the 3rd quarter 2024 include:

• There are 80 countries around the world with at least one private mobile network.

• Of the top 10 reporting countries, the United States reported growth of 24%, followed by the United Kingdom, up 11%, Sweden by 9% and Japan and Australia by 5% each. Finland and the Republic of Korea grew by 4% each

• Seaports and oil and gas were the fastest-growing industries, up 9%. Manufacturing, education and academic research and mining remain the top three sectors for customer references, although this does not represent the actual size and scale of deployments, which vary by user type.

• There are 80 countries around the world with at least one private mobile network.

• There is typically a strong, positive correlation between the number of private mobile network references and countries with dedicated spectrum. Private mobile networks are mainly in high- and upper-middle-income regions so far, with the United States, Germany, the United Kingdom, China and Japan having the most references. It is sometimes reported that China has a high number of networks, reaching up to 30,000, but GSA believes a large portion use the public network and therefore do not meet our definition.

Image Credit: GSA

Notes:

The definition of a private mobile network used in this report is a 3GPP-based 4G LTE or 5G network intended for the sole use of private entities, such as enterprises, industries and governments. They can use only physical elements, RAN or Core, or a combination of physical and virtual elements — for example hosted by a public land mobile network — but as a minimum, a dedicated network core must be implemented. The definition includes MulteFire or Future Railway Mobile Communication System. The network must use spectrum defined in 3GPP, be generally intended for business-critical or mission-critical operational needs, and where it is possible to identify commercial value, the database includes contracts worth more than €50,0000 and between €50,000 and €100,000 to filter out small demonstration network deployments. Private mobile networks are usually not offered to the general public, although GSA’s analysis does include the following: educational institutions that provide mobile broadband to student homes; private fixed wireless access networks deployed by communities for homes and businesses; city or town networks that use local licenses to provide wireless services in libraries or public places (possibly offering Wi-Fi with 3GPP wireless backhaul), which are not an extension of the public network.

Non-3GPP networks such as those using Wi-Fi, TETRA, P25, WiMAX, Sigfox, LoRa and proprietary technologies are excluded from the data set. Network implementations using solely network slices from public networks or placement of virtual networking functions on a router are also excluded. Where identifiable, extensions of the public network (such as one or two extra sites deployed at a location, as opposed to dedicated private networks) are excluded. These items may be described in the press as a type of private network.

References:

PMN December 2024 Summary

SNS Telecom & IT: Private 5G and 4G LTE cellular networks for the global defense sector is a $1.5B opportunity

SNS Telecom & IT: $6 Billion Private LTE/5G Market Shines Through Wireless Industry’s Gloom

SNS Telecom & IT: Private 5G Network market annual spending will be $3.5 Billion by 2027

Dell’Oro: Private RAN revenue declines slightly, but still doing relatively better than public RAN and WLAN markets

Pente Networks, MosoLabs and Alliance Corp collaborate for Private Cellular Network in a Box

HPE Aruba Launches “Cloud Native” Private 5G Network with 4G/5G Small Cell Radios

 

 

SNS Telecom & IT: $6 Billion Private LTE/5G Market Shines Through Wireless Industry’s Gloom

Posted on by Alan Weissberger

SNS Telecom & IT’s latest research report estimates that the private LTE and 5G network market revenues will be $6 Billion by the end of 2027.  It’s one of the few bright spots in the otherwise gloomy wireless telecommunications industry, which is marked by a slowdown in public mobile network infrastructure spending and service providers struggling to monetize their existing 5G investments, particularly in the consumer segment.

Historically a niche segment of the wider wireless telecommunications industry, private 4G-LTE and 5G networks – also referred to as NPNs (Non-Public Networks) in 3GPP terminology – have rapidly gained popularity in recent years due to privacy, security, reliability and performance advantages over public mobile networks and competing wireless technologies as well as their potential to replace hardwired connections with non-obstructive wireless links.

Their expanding influence is evident from the recent use of rapidly deployable private cellular network-in-a-box systems for professional TV broadcasting, enhanced fan engagement and gameplay operations at major sports events, including Paris 2024 Olympics, 2024 UEFA European Football Championship, North West 200 Motorcycle Race, 2024 World Rowing Cup III, New York Sail Grand Prix, 2024 PGA Championship, 2024 UFL Championship Game and 2024 NFL International Games, as well as the Republican and Democratic national conventions in the run up to the 2024 United States presidential election.

Other examples of high-impact private LTE/5G engagements include but are not limited to multi-site, multi-national private cellular deployments at the industrial facilities of Airbus, BMW, Chevron, John Deere, LG Electronics, Midea, Tesla, Toyota, Volkswagen, Walmart and several other household brand names; Aramco’s 450 MHz 3GPP network project in Saudi Arabia and ADNOCS’ 11,000-square kilometer private 5G network for connecting thousands of remote wells and pipelines in the UAE; defense sector 5G programs for the adoption of tactical cellular systems and permanent private 5G networks at military bases in the United States, Germany, Spain, Norway, Japan and South Korea; service territory-wide private wireless projects of 450connect, Ameren, CPFL Energia, ESB Networks, Evergy, Neoenergia, PGE (Polish Energy Group), SDG&E (San Diego Gas & Electric), Tampa Electric, Xcel Energy and other utility companies; and the recent implementation of a private 5G network at Belgium’s Nobelwind offshore wind farm as part of a broader European effort to secure critical infrastructure in the North Sea.

There has also been a surge in the adoption of private wireless small cells as a cost-effective alternative to DAS (Distributed Antenna Systems) for delivering neutral host public cellular coverage in carpeted enterprise spaces, public venues, hospitals, hotels, higher education campuses and schools. This trend is particularly prevalent in the United States due to the open accessibility of the license-exempt GAA (General Authorized Access) tier of 3.5 GHz CBRS spectrum. Some examples of private network deployments supporting neutral host connectivity to one or more national mobile operators include Meta’s corporate offices, City of Hope Hospital, SHC (Stanford Health Care), Sound Hotel, Gale South Beach Hotel, Nobu Hotel, ASU (Arizona State University), Cal Poly (California Polytechnic State University), University of Virginia, Duke University and Parkside Elementary School.

SNS Telecom & IT estimates that global spending on private LTE and 5G network infrastructure for vertical industries will grow at a CAGR of approximately 20% between 2024 and 2027, eventually accounting for more than $6 Billion by the end of 2027. Close to 60% of these investments – an estimated $3.5 Billion – will be directed towards the buildout of standalone private 5G networks, which will become the predominant wireless communications medium to support the ongoing Industry 4.0 revolution for the digitization and automation of manufacturing and process industries. This unprecedented level of growth is likely to transform private LTE and 5G networks into an almost parallel equipment ecosystem to public mobile operator infrastructure in terms of market size by the late 2020s. By 2030, private networks could account for as much as a fifth of all mobile network infrastructure spending.

The “Private LTE & 5G Network Ecosystem: 2024 – 2030 – Opportunities, Challenges, Strategies, Industry Verticals & Forecasts” report presents an in-depth assessment of the private LTE and 5G network ecosystem, including the value chain, market drivers, barriers to uptake, enabling technologies, operational and business models, vertical industries, application scenarios, key trends, future roadmap, standardization, spectrum availability and allocation, regulatory landscape, case studies, ecosystem player profiles and strategies. The report also presents global and regional market size forecasts from 2024 to 2030. The forecasts cover three infrastructure submarkets, two technology generations, four spectrum licensing models, 16 vertical industries and five regional markets.

The report comes with an associated Excel datasheet suite covering quantitative data from all numeric forecasts presented in the report, as well as a database of over 7,300 global private LTE/5G engagements – as of Q4’2024.

The report will be of value to current and future potential investors into the private LTE and 5G market, as well as LTE/5G equipment suppliers, system integrators, private network specialists, mobile operators and other ecosystem players who wish to broaden their knowledge of the ecosystem.

For further information concerning the SNS Telecom & IT publication “Private LTE & 5G Network Ecosystem: 2024 – 2030 – Opportunities, Challenges, Strategies, Industry Verticals & Forecasts” please visit: https://www.snstelecom.com/private-lte

About SNS Telecom & IT:

SNS Telecom & IT is a global market intelligence and consulting firm with a primary focus on the telecommunications and information technology industries. Developed by in-house subject matter experts, our market intelligence and research reports provide unique insights on both established and emerging technologies. Our areas of coverage include but are not limited to 6G, 5G, LTE, Open RAN, vRAN (Virtualized RAN), small cells, mobile core, xHaul (Fronthaul, Midhaul & Backhaul) transport, network automation, mobile operator services, FWA (Fixed Wireless Access), neutral host networks, private 4G/5G cellular networks, public safety broadband, critical communications, MCX (Mission-Critical PTT, Video & Data), IIoT (Industrial IoT), V2X (Vehicle-to-Everything) communications and vertical applications.

References:

https://www.snstelecom.com/private-lte

SNS Telecom & IT: Private 5G Network market annual spending will be $3.5 Billion by 2027

SNS Telecom & IT: Private LTE & 5G Network Infrastructure at $6.4 Billion by end of 2026

Dell’Oro: Private RAN revenue declines slightly, but still doing relatively better than public RAN and WLAN markets

Wipro and Cisco Launch Managed Private 5G Network-as-a-Service Solution

 

HPE Aruba Launches “Cloud Native” Private 5G Network with 4G/5G Small Cell Radios

Posted on by Alan Weissberger

HPE Aruba has launched an end-to-end private 5G network platform which is designed to help customers accelerate and simplify the deployment and management of private 5G networks, provide high levels of reliable wireless coverage across large campus and industrial environments, and open new, untapped use cases for private cellular. This integration follows HPE’s 2023 acquisition of private cellular technology provider Athonet.

Highlights:

  • HPE Aruba Networking provides a comprehensive solution that removes the complexity of managing, deploying and purchasing enterprise private cellular networks.
  • With this expansion of its secure edge-to-cloud portfolio, HPE Aruba Networking becomes the only global enterprise infrastructure vendor to provide comprehensive Wi-Fi and private 5G solutions.
  • HPE Aruba Networking Enterprise Private 5G provides high levels of reliable wireless coverage across large campus and industrial environments, opening up new, untapped use cases for private cellular.

“Enterprise and industrial customers are increasingly seeking to deliver wireless coverage in demanding environments, including large outdoor areas, serving fast-moving clients, and providing deterministic access in dedicated spectrum,” said Stuart Strickland, wireless chief technology officer, HPE Aruba Networking.

“The complexity of conventional approaches to private cellular networks has held them back. Building on HPE Aruba’s networking history of wireless innovation and leadership, we have uniquely positioned ourselves to enable new applications for private cellular by integrating Athonet core cellular solutions with our traditional strengths in enterprise networking.”

With the debut of HPE Aruba Networking Enterprise Private 5G, enterprises can increase reliable, secure, high-performance connectivity with a fully integrated private 5G network that features:

  • An end-to-end offering that includes a 4G/5G core, HPE ProLiant Gen11 servers, SIM/eSIM cards, 4G/5G small cells, and dashboard.
  • New 4G/5G small cell radios from HPE that provide indoor/outdoor coverage, eliminating the need to integrate and use a separate management tool from a 3rd party vendor.
  • Simplified cloud-native management and automation for subscriber management, deployment management, core monitoring and radio monitoring, with future plans for integration with HPE Aruba Networking Central.
  • Expanded AI data capture and delivery for building AI data lakes and activating inference solutions.
  • Interoperability with shared spectrum for private enterprise use: Citizens Broadband Radio Service (CBRS) spectrum in the US, and globally, where regulatory frameworks allow, beginning in 2025.
  • Simplified configuration with pre-integrated, tested solution including everything needed to deploy an enterprise private 4G/5G network.
  • Ability to deploy solutions in under 30 minutes with zero touch provisioning and configuration wizards that mask the 3GPP cellular complexity.
This integration follows the 2023 acquisition of private cellular technology provider Athonet, which brings 15 years of leadership in private cellular networks, completing 500 enterprise deployments of private cellular solutions. Athonet is an award-winning technology pioneer with successful customer deployments in various industries, including leading mobile operators, hospitals, airports, transportation ports, utilities, government and public safety organizations.

“HPE Aruba Networking Enterprise Private 5G is a significant step forward to solve for the complexity, cost, control, and management challenges associated with many private network deployments today,” said Patrick Filkins, Senior Research Manager, IoT and Telecommunications, IDC. “HPE Aruba Networking takes a grounded approach focusing on how to most efficiently integrate a private cellular network within an enterprise’s existing IT framework, streamlining network and device management through the use of familiar tools, as well as dynamically assigning and preserving device policy across 4G/5G, Wi-Fi, and wired LAN networks.”

“HPE Aruba Networking Enterprise Private 5G is a significant step forward to solve for the complexity, cost, control, and management challenges associated with many private network deployments today.” Patrick Filkins Senior Research Manager, IoT and Telecommunications, IDC.

“‘Many private network solutions are too complex, even for large enterprises with internal network expertise,” said Tom Rebbeck, Partner, Analysys Mason. “We expect customers to embrace solutions that can make private networks easier to deploy and manage.”

“For IronYun’s Vaidio Platform to be able to provide AI inferencing at the edge and drive accurate AI video search results, we needed an infrastructure that provided fast, available and reliable bandwidth without any complexity,” said Paul Sun, IronYun CEO. “We found it with HPE Aruba Networking, which provides us with all the components needed to deliver an end-to-end private 5G network for AI. HPE Aruba Networking’s private 5G network is the technical foundation for all Vaidio functions for real-time video analysis and AI inferencing that deliver AI insights to help improve security outcomes.”

“Private cellular, with its wide area, deterministic coverage, is the ideal fit for Disc Golf Network’s global live competition coverage of the Disc Golf Pro Tour,” said Baker Helton, DGPT Vice President of Business Administration. “The new HPE Aruba Networking Enterprise Private 5G offering will make it that much easier for companies to do what we’ve done and meet their requirements for pervasive coverage with an integrated offering using CBRS.”

References:

https://www.hpe.com/us/en/newsroom/press-release/2024/06/hpe-simplifies-deployment-of-private-cellular-networks-with-launch-of-hpe-aruba-networking-enterprise-private-5g.html

5 Reasons to adopt HPE Aruba Networking Enterprise Private 5G

Hewlett Packard Enterprise doubles down on private 5G, extends leadership in wireless connectivity with acquisition of Athonet

HPE completes acquisition of private 5G leader Athonet

HPE acquires private cellular network provider Athonet (Italy) to strengthen HPE Aruba’s networking portfolio

SNS Telecom & IT: Private 5G Network market annual spending will be $3.5 Billion by 2027

Ligado Networks and Ubiik to offer private LTE network using Band 54 spectrum at 1670-1675 MHz

Posted on by Alan Weissberger

U.S. satellite communications service provider Ligado Networks plans to offer a private LTE network using advanced metering infrastructure (AMI) from Taiwan based Ubiik. Using Band 54 spectrum at 1670-1675 MHz, the private LTE network is intended for the utilities sector and other mission-critical customers. Band 54 is standardized for 3GPP-based cellular technologies; it is available contiguously across the US.

Ubiik gained considerable success in Taiwan, including a $17 million tender from Taiwan Power Company (Taipower) at the start of 2023.  The company has developed a private LTE base station for Band 54 spectrum, under the brand goRAN; the 5MHz chunk at 1670-1675 MHz, affording time-division (rather than frequency division) duplexing (TDD), is presented as a useful private network addition for low-power IoT projects.

On October 6th, Ubiik partnered with Electricity Canada with the aim of contributing to Canada’s clean energy future through developments in wireless connectivity. Ubiik will collaborate with Electricity Canada’s members and partners to deliver pLTE networks for utilities in Canada, using its innovative goRAN™ LTE Base Station and LTE-M end devices that support the 1.8GHz, 900MHz, and 1.4GHz spectrum.

The goRAN™ base station integrates a full-software 3GPP Release 15 Radio Access Network (RAN) optimized for private networks, with multi-carrier standalone NB-IoT support as well as standalone LTE-M in 1.4MHz, 3MHz and 5MHz bandwidths, including VoLTE. It can operate as a Base Station connecting to an external Evolved Packet Core (EPC) via the S1 interface, as well as an Access Point with its built-in EPC and integrated HSS (external HSS via S6a is also supported).

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It is a “golden opportunity” for critical industries, said Ubiik. TDD separates the uplink and downlink signals by allocating different time slots in the same frequency band, allowing for asymmetric flow for uplink and downlink transmission. Ligado Networks said: “[It] equips utility users with significant flexibility, as different ratios of uplink versus downlink slots may be used to address requirements of mission-critical applications.”

A news release said: “The Band 54 goRAN™ LTE Base Station will be particularly useful for utilities deploying private networks which is why the companies plan to showcase a demonstration version of the device during the 2023 Utility Broadband Alliance (UBBA) Summit & Plugfest Event in Minneapolis next week from October 10-12, 2023.”

Sachin Chhibber, chief technology officer at Ligado Networks emphasized how the announcement represents another building block in the expansion of the ecosystem which utilizes Band 54 frequencies. He stated: “Ubiik’s goRAN base station is a significant enhancement to the opportunities the band affords to the critical infrastructure industry – especially utility and other enterprise organisations planning private networks… By eliminating the requirement to pair channels for uplink and downlink, we will be able to offer partners the flexibility to use the spectrum exactly how they need, and with greater efficiencies.”

Chhibber reiterated how specific attributes of Band 54 – particularly its Time Division Duplex (TDD) capabilities – equip utility users with significant flexibility, as different ratios of uplink versus downlink slots may be used to address requirements of mission-critical applications. “By eliminating the requirement to pair channels for uplink and downlink, we will be able to offer our partners the flexibility necessary to use the spectrum exactly how they need, and with greater efficiencies,” Chhibber noted. He added that uplink-heavy users such as utilities – for monitoring purposes, as an example – will be able to deploy tailormade networks to achieve their priorities.

Tienhaw Peng, chief executive at Ubiik, said: “Given the scarcity of spectrum, being able to secure an optimal 5 MHz slice to build out a private network is a golden opportunity for critical infrastructure customers. Our goRAN base station offers the perfect mix of affordability and ease of deployment combined with the spectral efficiency, interoperability and security brought by LTE. With Ligado, we look forward to providing a solution-in-a-box for building an LTE network – by either utilising a user’s specified core network or one directly built into the base station.”

Peng also explained that the goRAN™ Base Station will integrate with chipsets supporting Band 54 and with a utility-hardened LTE endpoint module currently in development. Ubiik’s recent acquisition of utility networks provider Mimomax Wireless will provide North American utilities with additional expertise in the deployment of multiple large-scale wireless networks.

Ubiik’s recent acquisition of utility networks provider Mimomax Wireless will provide North American utilities with additional expertise in the deployment of multiple large-scale wireless networks, the company said.

References:

https://www.ubiik.com/news/ligado-networks-and-ubiik-announce-new-private-lte-base-station-for-band-54-spectrum

Ligado Networks teams up with Ubiik to offer US utilities Band-54 private LTE at 1670-1675 MHz

https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/ubiik-acquires-mimomax-creating-a-best-of-breed-wireless-solutions-provider-for-utilities-and-critical-infrastructure-301878246.html

https://www.lightreading.com/private-networks/ligado-cancels-5g-network-launch-amid-ongoing-interference-concerns

https://www.criticalcommunicationsreview.com/ccr/news/111487/electricity-canada-welcomes-ubiik-provider-of-private-lte-solutions-for-utilities

New VMware Private Mobile Network Service to be delivered by Federated Wireless

Posted on by Alan Weissberger

Federated Wireless, a shared spectrum and private wireless network operator, today announced it will deliver private 4G and 5G networks-as-a-service for enterprises in the form of the new VMware Private Mobile Network Service.  Federated Wireless will build and operate private 4G and 5G radio access network (RAN) infrastructure to be deployed on customers’ premises. VMware will provide its Private Mobile Network Orchestrator to manage the end-to-end network and integrate it with existing IT environments.

The streamlined solution provides the performance, coverage, and security benefits of private cellular networks without the complexity of building and operating standalone infrastructure.

Key features and benefits of the joint solution include:

  • Streamlined deployment of private 4G/5G RAN at enterprise locations
  • Simplified private mobile core integrated with existing IT management platforms
  • Centralized orchestration and automation of the end-to-end networks
  • Enhanced security and more optimized connectivity for business- and mission-critical applications
  • Carrier-grade performance with SLAs tailored to enterprise requirements
  • Ability to leverage CBRS shared spectrum as well as privately licensed spectrum

“Enterprises are looking to private cellular networks to enable business transformation, but need solutions that integrate with their existing infrastructure,” said Kevin McCartney, Vice President of Alliances at Federated Wireless. “Through the strength of our combined solutioning with VMware, we’re giving customers in difficult-to-cover environments an easy on-ramp to private 4G and 5G with the performance and scale they require.”

“VMware is committed to helping customers modernize their networks through innovative software solutions,” said Saadat Malik, Vice President and General Manager, Edge Computing at VMware. “With Federated Wireless and a growing partner ecosystem, we’re making it simpler for enterprises to deploy and run private networks in a model that aligns with their business needs.”

The solution will be delivered by Federated Wireless as part of its private wireless managed service and will be available to both direct customers and channel partners.

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VMware today is also introducing new and enhanced orchestration capabilities for the edge. VMware Edge Cloud Orchestrator (formerly VMware SASE Orchestrator) will provide unified management for VMware SASE and the VMware Edge Compute Stack—an industry-first offering to bridge the gap between edge networking and edge compute. Enhancements to the orchestrator will help customers plan, deploy, run, visualize, and manage their edge environments in a friction-free manner—allowing them to run edge-native applications focused on business outcomes. The VMware Edge Cloud Orchestrator (VECO) will deliver holistic edge management by providing a single console to manage edge compute infrastructure, networking, and security.

VMware defines the software-defined edge as a distributed digital Infrastructure that runs workloads across a number of locations, close to endpoints that are producing and consuming data. It extends to where the users and devices are—whether they are in the office, on the road or on the factory floor. Enterprises need solutions to connect these elements more securely and reliably to the larger enterprise network in a scalable manner. VMware Edge Cloud Orchestrator is key to enabling a software-defined edge approach. VMware’s approach to the software-defined edge features right-sized infrastructure (shrinking the stack to the smallest possible footprint); pull-based orchestration (security and administrative updates are “pulled” by the workload); and network programmability (defined by APIs and code).

“Audi wants to take factory automation to the next level and benefit from a scalable edge infrastructure at its factories worldwide,” said Jörg Spindler, Global Head of Manufacturing Engineering, Audi. “Audi’s Edge Cloud 4 Production will be the key component of this digital transformation, replacing individual PCs and hardware on the shop floor. Ultimately, it will increase factory uptime, agility, and the speed of rolling out new applications and tools across the production line. VMware Edge Compute Stack (ECS) and the VMware Edge Cloud Orchestrator (VECO) will offer a scalable way for Audi to operate a distributed edge infrastructure, manage resources more efficiently, and lower its operations costs.”

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VMware also announced that the VMware Private Mobile Network, a managed connectivity service to accelerate edge digital transformation, will become initially available in the current quarter (FY24 Q3). VMware partners with wireless service providers to help remove the complexity associated with private mobile networks and enable enterprises to focus on their strategic business outcomes. Built on VMware Edge Compute Stack, VMware Private Mobile Network offers service providers trusted VMware technology, seamlessly integrated into existing IT management platforms. This enables rapid deployment and effortless management and orchestration. VMware is also pleased to announce that it is working with Betacom, Boingo Wireless, and Federated Wireless as the initial beta wireless service provider partners for this new offering.

Supporting Diverse Use Cases at the Edge:

VMware offers enterprises the right edge solution to address diverse use cases at the right price. It is collaborating with customers to successfully address the following edge use cases:

  • Manufacturing – Support for autonomous vehicles, digital twin, inventory management, safety, and security;
  • Retail – Support for loss prevention, inventory management, safety, security, and computer vision;
  • Energy – Enable increased production visibility and efficiency, reduced unplanned downtime, maintain regulatory compliance; and,
  • Healthcare – Support for IoT wearables, smart utilities, and surgical robotics.

End Quote:

“Boingo is collaborating with VMware to enhance our managed private 5G networks that connect mobile and IoT devices at airports, stadiums and large venues. VMware’s Private Mobile Network simplifies network integration and management, helping us accelerate deployments.” – Dr. Derek Peterson, chief technology officer, Boingo

References:

https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230822597752/en/VMware-Delivers-Powerful-Business-Operation-Transformation-at-the-Edge

https://www.federatedwireless.com/news/federated-wireless-to-deliver-private-4g-and-5g-networks-via-new-vmware-private-mobile-network-service/

https://www.federatedwireless.com/products/private-wireless/

https://go.federatedwireless.com/l/940493/2023-06-12/3pj9f/940493/1686554112NWvEuSUE/WhyFederatedWireless_SolutionBrief.pdf

 

SNS Telecom & IT: Private LTE & 5G Network Infrastructure at $6.4 Billion by end of 2026

Posted on by Alan Weissberger

 SNS Telecom & IT‘s latest research report indicates that global spending on private LTE and 5G network infrastructure for vertical industries – which includes RAN (Radio Access Network), mobile core and transport network equipment – will account for more than $6.4 Billion by the end of 2026.

Private cellular networks – also referred to as NPNs (Non-Public Networks) in 3GPP terminology – have rapidly gained popularity in recent years due to privacy, security, reliability and performance advantages over public mobile networks and competing wireless technologies as well as their potential to replace hardwired connections with non-obstructive wireless links.

With the 3GPP-led standardization [1.] of features such as MCX (Mission-Critical PTT, Video & Data), URLLC (Ultra-Reliable, Low-Latency Communications), TSC (Time-Sensitive Communications), SNPNs (Standalone NPNs), PNI-NPNs (Public Network-Integrated NPNs) and network slicing, private networks based on LTE and 5G technologies have gained recognition as an all-inclusive connectivity platform for critical communications, Industry 4.0 and enterprise transformation-related applications. Traditionally, these sectors have been dominated by LMR (Land Mobile Radio), Wi-Fi, industrial Ethernet, fiber and other disparate networks.

Note 1.  3GPP specs become standards when they are “rubber stamped” by ETSI.  Some are also contributed to ITU-R WP5D by ATIS, e.g. 3GPP NR became the essence of ITU-R M.2150 recommendation for 5G RANs.

The liberalization of spectrum is another factor that is accelerating the adoption of private LTE and 5G networks. National regulators across the globe have released or are in the process of granting access to shared and local area licensed spectrum.

Examples include, but are not limited to, the three-tiered CBRS (Citizens Broadband Radio Service) spectrum sharing scheme in the United States, Canada’s planned NCL (Non-Competitive Local) licensing framework, United Kingdom’s shared and local access licensing model, Germany’s 3.7-3.8 GHz and 28 GHz licenses for 5G campus networks, France’s vertical spectrum and sub-letting arrangements, Netherlands’ geographically restricted mid-band spectrum assignments, Finland’s 2.3 GHz and 26 GHz licenses for local 4G/5G networks, Sweden’s 3.7 GHz and 26 GHz permits, Norway’s regulation of local networks in the 3.8-4.2 GHz band, Poland’s spectrum assignment for local government units and enterprises, Bahrain’s private 5G network licenses, Japan’s 4.6-4.9 GHz and 28 GHz local 5G network licenses, South Korea’s e-Um 5G allocations in the 4.7 GHz and 28 GHz bands, Taiwan’s provision of 4.8-4.9 GHz spectrum for private 5G networks, Hong Kong’s LWBS (Localized Wireless Broadband System) licenses, Australia’s apparatus licensing approach, India’s CNPN (Captive Non-Public Network) leasing framework and Brazil’s SLP (Private Limited Service) licenses. Even China – where mobile operators have been at the forefront of initial private 5G installations – has started allocating private 5G spectrum licenses directly to end user organizations.

Vast swaths of globally and regionally harmonized license-exempt spectrum are also available worldwide that can be used for the operation of unlicensed LTE and 5G NR-U equipment for private networks. In addition, dedicated national spectrum in sub-1 GHz and higher frequencies has been allocated for specific critical communications-related applications in many countries.

LTE and 5G-based private cellular networks come in many different shapes and sizes, including isolated end-to-end NPNs in industrial and enterprise settings, local RAN equipment for targeted cellular coverage, dedicated on-premise core network functions, virtual sliced private networks, secure MVNO (Mobile Virtual Network Operator) platforms for critical communications, and wide area networks for application scenarios such as PPDR (Public Protection & Disaster Relief) broadband, smart utility grids, railway communications and A2G (Air-to-Ground) connectivity.

However, it is important to note that equipment suppliers, system integrators, private network specialists, mobile operators and other ecosystem players have slightly different perceptions as to what exactly constitutes a private cellular network. While there is near universal consensus that private LTE and 5G networks refer to purpose-built cellular communications systems intended for the exclusive use of vertical industries and enterprises, some industry participants extend this definition to also include other market segments – for example, 3GPP-based community and residential broadband networks deployed by non-traditional service providers. Another closely related segment is multi-operator or shared neutral host infrastructure, which may be employed to support NPN services in specific scenarios.

Key findings:

Summary of Private LTE/5G Engagements:

Some of the existing and planned private LTE and 5G engagements are in the following industry verticals:

 

References:

https://www.snstelecom.com/private-lte

SNS Telecom & IT: Open RAN Intelligent Controller, xApps & rApps to reach $600 Million by 2025

SNS Telecom & IT: Shared Spectrum to Boost 5G NR & LTE Small Cell RAN Market

SNS Telecom & IT: Spending on Unlicensed LTE & 5G NR RAN infrastructure at $1.3 Billion by 2023

SNS Telecom: U.S. Network Operators will reap $1B from fixed wireless by late 2019

Telefónica – Nokia alliance for private mobile networks to accelerate digital transformation for enterprises in Latin America

Posted on by Alan Weissberger

Telefonica d’Espagne wants to pursue private mobile networks for businesses in the Latin American region and has enlisted Nokia assist.  The Spain-based telecoms group and its network equipment vendor partner are talking up their ability to bring about digital transformation for enterprises in Latin America. Through their newly-announced partnership the pair intend to offer Nokia’s portfolio of industrial-grade private wireless network and digitalization platform solutions, concentrating primarily on what they describe as “the most promising industries in the region;” that’s ports, mining, energy and manufacturing.

Juan Vicente Martín, Director for B2B at Telefonica Movistar Empresas Hispanoamérica, said: “In this unprecedented alliance, the benefits of LTE & 5G private wireless will enable Industry 4.0 across industries. With our strategic partner Nokia, we provide the best connectivity, enable greater optimization of operations, achieving important productivity and efficiency rates and contributing to the digitalization of the industrial sectors throughout Latin America.”

Néstor González, Head of Customer Team for Telefonica Corporate, Nokia, said: “We are thrilled to partner with Telefonica, combining our leading Industrial-grade private wireless solutions with Telefónica Hispanoamérica’s growing B2B solutions and services footprint, to jointly reach a wide variety of enterprises and industries throughout the region. We are very excited to be at the forefront of digital transformation for enterprises in Latin America which have tremendous potential for productivity gains from Industry 4.0. We thank Telefónica Hispanoamérica for their confidence in Nokia and we are looking forward to jointly deploying many new networks”.

Nokia has deployed mission-critical networks to more than 2,600 leading enterprise customers in the transport, energy, large enterprise, manufacturing, webscale, and public sector segments around the globe. It has also extended its footprint to more than 595 private wireless customers worldwide across an array of industrial sectors and has been cited by numerous industry analysts as the leading provider of private wireless networking worldwide.

Nokia has statistics to help encourage enterprises to make the leap into private wireless.  According to a late 2022 survey by Nokia and GlobalData there were 79 multinationals that have deployed Nokia industrial-grade private wireless solutions.  Nearly 80 percent of survey respondents expected to achieve ROI within six months of deployment.

Currently, private mobile networks based on 4G are probably more of an opportunity for Telefonica than 5G-based rollouts, the latest generation of mobile technology being still very much in its infancy in the region.

Indeed, according to the latest iteration of Ericsson’s mobility report, published a week ago, 4G subscriptions accounted for a massive 74% of total mobile connections in the region at the end of last year, with 5G barely figuring at all. The Swedish vendor calculated that there were just 7 million 5G subscriptions in total in Latin America at year-end, while operators added over 60 million 4G subs over the 12 months.

However, Ericsson predicts that 5G uptake will become more meaningful from 2024 onwards and that by the end of 2028 the technology will account for 42% of all mobile subscriptions in the region.

Consumer uptake of 5G does not necessarily directly translate to the state of play in the private wireless market, of course. But it gives us an idea of the maturity of the overall market.

Last September, Ericsson declared a “digital revolution…underway in Latin America,” when it announced the deployment of what it said was the region’s first private 5G standalone network with a wholly on-premises network architecture, operating completely separately from the public mobile network. The customer was conglomerate Nestlé, in Brazil, and the pair worked with network operators Claro and Embratel.

While Nestlé might be the kind of customer telcos and vendors dream about, there is clearly an opportunity to serve smaller and less well-known outfits too, regardless of the state of deployment of 5G.

Nokia noted that it has more the 595 private wireless customers worldwide across various industrial sectors, although it did not mention how many of those are in Latin America. Quite likely a few at most, but as the technology develops in the region, so will the market opportunity.

References:

https://www.nokia.com/about-us/news/releases/2023/06/28/nokia-and-telefonica-announce-alliance-to-accelerate-digital-transformation-for-enterprises-in-latin-america/

https://telecoms.com/522425/telefonica-and-nokia-partner-to-target-private-5g-market-in-latam/

https://www.nokia.com/about-us/news/releases/2022/12/07/nokia-and-globaldata-market-research-reveals-private-wireless-enterprise-drivers-and-return-on-investment-data/

 

HPE acquires private cellular network provider Athonet (Italy) to strengthen HPE Aruba’s networking portfolio

Posted on by Alan Weissberger

 Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE) today announced the expansion of its connected edge-to-cloud offering with the acquisition of Athonet, a private cellular network technology provider that delivers mobile core networks to enterprises and communication service providers. Combined with the HPE telco and Aruba networking portfolios, Athonet will put HPE at the forefront of a growing market that is predicted by IDC to increase to more than $1.6 billion1 by 2026.

Based in Vicenza, Italy, Athonet has more than 15 years of experience delivering 4G and 5G mobile core solutions to customers and partners globally. Athonet is an award-winning technology pioneer with more than 450 successful customer deployments in various industries, including leading mobile operators, hospitals, airports, transportation ports, utilities, government and public safety organizations.

With enterprises facing complex connectivity challenges across large and remote sites, private 5G offers high levels of coverage, reliability and mobility across campus and industrial environments. It also augments the cost-effective, high-capacity connectivity provided by Wi-Fi. The incorporation of Athonet’s technology will allow HPE to deliver private networking capabilities directly to enterprises as part of HPE’s Aruba networking portfolio, while also enabling communications service providers (CSPs) to quickly deploy private 5G networks for their customers.

“Telco customers are looking for simpler ways to deploy private 5G networks to meet growing customer expectations at the connected edge,” said Tom Craig, global vice president and general manager, Communications Technology Group at HPE. “At the same time, enterprise customers are demanding a customized 5G experience with low-latency, segregated resources, extended range and security across campus and industrial environments that complement their existing wireless networks. With the acquisition of Athonet, HPE now has one of the most complete private 5G and Wi-Fi portfolios for CSP and enterprise customers – and we will offer it as a service through HPE GreenLake.”

HPE expands private 5G solutions for both telcos and the enterprise:

HPE will integrate Athonet’s technology into its existing CSP and Aruba networking enterprise offerings to create a private networking portfolio that accelerates digital transformation from edge-to-cloud. The networking portfolio will provide the following benefits:

  • Enhanced private networks that combine the high capacity of Wi-Fi with the coverage and mobility of 5G
  • Accelerated private 5G deployments that improve agility and innovation to help telco B2B teams and enterprise customers
  • New enterprise revenue streams for telcos with differentiated services leveraging 5G and Wi-Fi
  • Alignment of costs to revenues with consumption-based models for enterprises and telcos through HPE GreenLake, reducing the risk of entering new markets
  • Management of operational complexity and cost efficiency with 5G orchestration and zero-touch automation to deliver new workloads from edge-to-cloud

With 5G investments running into the billions of dollars, CSPs are looking for simple ways to meet customer needs and drive new B2B revenue by deploying both edge compute and private 5G networks. The addition of Athonet’s software to HPE’s telco portfolio enhances one of the broadest communications portfolios in the market, which serves a base of more than 300 customers across 160 countries and connects more than one billion mobile devices worldwide. Building on its existing private 5G solutions, HPE’s enhanced offering for CSPs will support private 4G and 5G networks and include telco-grade orchestration and automation capabilities. These capabilities will help launch new B2B services that meet growing customer expectations for the connected edge. 

“Athonet was founded to provide customers with private 4G and 5G solutions that deliver carrier-grade reliability and performance to suit their increasing and more challenging connectivity needs,” said Gianluca Verin, CEO and co-founder of Athonet. “We are excited to join HPE and combine our highly skilled teams as we expand our joint service provider offerings for the rapidly growing private 5G market and build on HPE’s strategy to be the leading edge-to-cloud solutions provider.”

Private 5G offers enterprises new capabilities that are ultra-secure, easy to deploy and manage, ready for highly specialized applications such as robotics and industrial IoT, data networks and pipelines, and security systems facilitation. The acquisition of Athonet strengthens Aruba’s connected edge portfolio, providing the unique and highly sought-after ability to deliver fully integrated Wi-Fi and private 5G networks. Integration with Aruba Central will enable network managers to administer Wi-Fi and private 5G through a single pane of glass and bring to bear the power of AI-powered insights, workflow automation, and robust security.

HPE GreenLake, HPE’s edge-to-cloud platform, will offer Athonet private 5G offerings, combining all costs for Wi-Fi and private 5G into one single monthly subscription with no capital expenditure. Flexible consumption options, including HPE’s networking as a service, mean private 5G networks can be deployed with reduced risk, little upfront investment and scaled according to demand.

HPE portfolio integration and availability:

HPE will integrate Athonet’s solutions with its existing telco software assets and plans to make them available to customers some time following the close of the transaction. HPE will also integrate the solutions with the Aruba networking portfolio in the near future. The transaction is expected to close at the beginning of the third quarter of HPE’s 2023 fiscal year, subject to regulatory approvals and other customary closing conditions.

About Hewlett Packard Enterprise:

Hewlett Packard Enterprise  is the global edge-to-cloud company that helps organizations accelerate outcomes by unlocking value from all of their data, everywhere. Built on decades of reimagining the future and innovating to advance the way people live and work, HPE delivers unique, open and intelligent technology solutions as a service.  With offerings spanning Cloud Services, Compute, High Performance Computing & AI, Intelligent Edge, Software, and Storage, HPE provides a consistent experience across all clouds and edges, helping customers develop new business models, engage in new ways, and increase operational performance. For more information, visit: www.hpe.com

Media Contacts for U.S. & Canada:
Ben Stricker [email protected]

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Analysis from Channel Futures:

While HPE already offers a 5G cloud-native software core, Athonet gives deeper in-house capabilities to more quickly and directly deploy private 5G networks.

“Given HPE’s Wi-Fi and security assets – like Aruba – I’d say this makes a clear play to simplify management for key enterprise digital assets. And this is the kind of issue that enterprises are often bringing up to us,” Omdia chief analyst of enterprise services Camille Mendler told Channel Futures. (Omdia and Channel Futures share a parent company, Informa.)

Patrick Filkins, IDC‘s research manager for IoT and telecom network infrastructure, said Athonet can give HPE customers an improved option for deploying a private 5G network together with Wi-Fi. Filkins said that integrated portfolio could well serve an enterprise that has already done the heavy legwork of building a Wi-Fi network.

“This is a very complicated task, and one the enterprise itself controls. They don’t want to start from scratch or be forced to have someone else tinkering in their systems, so this acquisition will hopefully provide some assurance to enterprise customers that the vendors will help ensure their customers can repurpose work they’ve already done to integrate a new network technology, and hopefully new use cases,” Filkins said.

Filkins said the acquisition will immediately improve the HPE 5G core and gradually work its way into Aruba portfolio improvements. For example, HPE will integrate Athonet into the Aruba Central network management platform.

“Specifically, we expect HPE/Aruba to over time release follow-on solutions which help enterprises manage the two technologies seamlessly. Enterprises are not interested in deploying both 5G and Wi-Fi networks in a silo. They want a combined solution that can help tackle the integration and management issues from a single pane. This means you’ll see HPE’s telco and Aruba teams working together more closely over time,” Filkins said.

Mendler said one might see a U.S. equivalent in Celona, despite Athonet’s age (founded 2004) compared to that of Celona (founded in 2019). Filkins added that although many vendors provide private and public LTE/5G cores in the U.S., most run their headquarters abroad. He pointed to Cisco and Microsoft-acquired Mavenir, Affirmed Networks and MetaSwitch as 5G core providers in the U.S.

“However, from a competitive standpoint, Athonet competes globally against Nokia, Ericsson, Mavenir, Microsoft Azure, Cisco, etc., among others,” Filkins told Channel Futures.  He described Athonet as “no slouch” in the wireless market. He calls the company’s customer base deep, though consisting of smaller customers. HPE said in an announcement that Athonet has performed 450 customer deployments in various verticals. Athonet’s customers include SpaceX, which uses a private cellular network in Antarctica.

Filkins called the Athonet technology offerings “relatively advanced for 5G.” For example, the cloud-native 5G core meets almost all of 3GPP‘s listed functions. He also said Athonet’s core augments HPE’s 5G core offerings.

“The cloud-native part means it can be deployed fully on-site, fully in the cloud, or in a hybrid format. This should cover any scenario the customer wants. [Athonet] has specialized in selling mobile core software to enterprises, and smaller, regional operations for years. It knows the needs of the enterprise well,” Filkins said.

Athonet CEO and co-founder Gianluca Verin said his team looks forward to joining HPE. Moreover, he said he wants to enhance HPE’s goal of being “the leading edge-to-cloud solutions provider.”  Verin worked in support and solution engineer positions at Ericsson for eight years before starting Athonet.

HPE’s GreenLake edge-to-cloud services platform will host the private 5G service. HPE executives have said GreenLake as-a-service consumption model will “simplify” enterprises’ entrance into 5G and lower risk.

“I think this is an important step HPE is taking. For the most part, private 5G and Wi-Fi networks have been offered as point solutions, but HPE/Aruba intend to do the ‘under-the-hood’ work to make them as integrated as possible, which is what enterprise customers want,” Filkins said.

In December, HPE said 80% of its top 100 customers have adopted the GreenLake platform. The vendor is also equipping Aruba partners to deliver its network-as-a-service offering.

When HPE unveiled a private 5G offering one year ago, an executive said HPE preferred to go to market though system integrators, telcos and service providers rather than straight to the enterprise.  HPE’s telco business serves 300 customers across the world, the company said.

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References:

https://www.hpe.com/us/en/newsroom/press-release/2023/02/hewlett-packard-enterprise-doubles-down-on-private-5g-extends-leadership-in-wireless-connectivity-with-acquisition-of-athonet.html

https://www.channelfutures.com/mergers-and-acquisitions/hpe-buying-private-5g-network-provider-athonet-for-telco-aruba-enhancements

 

AWS Integrated Private Wireless with Deutsche Telekom, KDDI, Orange, T-Mobile US, and Telefónica partners

Posted on by Alan Weissberger

In addition to Telco Network Builder, AWS today announced its Integrated Private Wireless that acts as an infrastructure bridge for network operators that want to offer a private network service tapping into AWS’ infrastructure to end users.  This allows AWS to connect incoming customers interested in a private network platform with the #1 cloud service provider’s telecom partners.

“We are really just connecting the customer with the telco, then that relationship is between the two of them,” said Jan Hofmeyr,VP of Amazon EC2.  Initial telecom partners include Deutsche Telekom, KDDI, Orange, T-Mobile US, and Telefónica.   Enterprise customers shopping for private wireless services will be able to purchase an installation from one of those participating operators. “The relationship is directly between the customer and the telco,” Hofmeyr said, noting that the resulting private wireless network will then run atop the AWS cloud.

Hofmeyr said that AWS’ goal is to provide customers with an easy set of options that will allow them to deploy or operate a private network in a manner that meets their needs and abilities.  “Right now this is their ask, [it’s] helping us make this onboarding easier, and that’s exactly what we’re focusing on.  In the future, we’ll continue to listen to what their needs are and continue to support that,” Hofmeyr added.

This new private network offering is different from AWS’ Private 5G platform that it initially unveiled in late 2021, and has since updated. That platform integrates small cell radio units, AWS’ Outposts servers, a 5G core, and radio access network (RAN) software running on AWS-managed hardware. AWS also handles the spectrum management of this service.

AWS will act as the portal, but telcos will be the managed service providers for the network on behalf of those enterprises or smaller service providers, the company said. As with the telco network builder, AWS will provide a dashboard for monitoring performance and modifying it as needed.

“That’s one of the friction points we saw as we started looking at the private network space,” said Ishwar Parulkar, chief technologist for the telco industry at AWS, in an interview. “There are a lot of enterprise customers who really don’t care about all of this. They just want to be able to use the network and run some applications on top. That’s one of the primary values that we bring with this: lifting that undifferentiated work away from them and managing it in the cloud.”

For Amazon, telcos represent a prime business opportunity: as carriers build new networks with increasing reliance on software and cloud services, Amazon is positioning itself as a tech and cloud partner to help run those services better and more cheaply.  It’s been interesting to watch how it has worked to build trust among a group of businesses that have at times been very wary of big tech and the threat of being reduced to “dumb pipes” as tech companies lean on their own architecture and technology advances to build faster and cheaper services that compete directly with what carriers have and plan to roll out. As one example, the company is clear to call these new products “offerings” and not services to make clear that it is not the managed service provider, the carriers’ role.

“We’ve been on this journey for a few years now in terms of really getting the cloud to run telco networks,” said Parulkar. “Our goal here is to make AWS the best place to host 5g networks for both public and private. And on that journey, we’ve been making steady progress.”

For carriers, they are now in a world where arguably communications is just another tech service, so many of them believe that running them with less costs and in more flexible ways will be the key to winning more business, introducing more services and getting better margins. Whether carriers want to wholesale work closer with Amazon, or with any of the cloud providers, for such services, will be the big question.

References:

https://www.sdxcentral.com/articles/news/aws-expands-5g-telecom-private-wireless-work/2023/02/

https://www.lightreading.com/mobile-world-congress/aws-deepens-product-set-for-public-private-networks/d/d-id/783319?

https://au.finance.yahoo.com/news/amazons-aws-cozies-carriers-launches-170645578.html

“There’s nothing like it;” AWS CEO announces Private 5G at AWS re-Invent 2021; Dish Network’s endorsement

 

AWS Telco Network Builder: managed service to deploy, run, and scale telco networks on AWS

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