Consumer facing Apps like Uber, AirBnB, Amazon have redefined the way we have lived the last decade. During COVID times, we witnessed how Apps like Zoom, AWS, Zoho, Slack have transformed the way we work. Connectivity using WIFI, 4G plays a foundational role in the way we live and work by enabling these applications.

In the coming decade, emerging deep tech technologies like AR/VR (Metaverse), Autonomous Guided Vehicles, Industrial Automation, Robotics will redefine the way we live and work. Such technologies need secure and reliable connectivity with high bandwidth, low response time, massive scalability and mobility. For example, AR/VR based remote operation using Drone needs 1 Gbps bandwidth, Automated Robotics needs a response time of less than 10 ms and an Oil & Gas refinery can have millions of devices to be managed.

WIFI has limited coverage and is not efficient for Operational Technologies (OT) like Robotics, Drones, Connected Healthcare, and now is the time to make a major shift towards a better, faster and increased capacity network. As the world moves towards digitization of operations, more machines and equipment will come in, thus a reliable infrastructure is poised to follow.

5G brings in 3 key features that is a catalyst towards faster and reliable infrastructure:

• Enhanced Mobile Broadband with 2 to 10 Gbps bandwidth
• Ultra Reliable Low Latency Communication with 1 to 10 ms latency
• Massive Machine Type Communication with million of low power devices

When a 5G technology is deployed within an Enterprise, using licensed or unlicensed spectrum for their exclusive use with guaranteed security and privacy, it becomes a Private 5G deployment.

Current networking system requires a large amount of hardware, software and cabling to set up a WIFI network within a large campus to cover its total perimeter area. A private 5G is easy to deploy and manage within a large enterprise campus with less hardware and software components needed to cover both outdoor and indoor. Majorly the speed, bandwidth and connectivity capacity along with lower latency adds another feather to private 5G, placing its roots deeper in the networking world.

World is seeing the potential of AI/ML, AR/VR and IoT to make our lives easier and better. All these technologies require an enhanced connectivity platform to perform to their true capacity. Private 5G with enhanced mobile broadband, ultra low level of latency and massive machine type communication provides the capability needed for these technologies.

Industries have already started deploying private 5G infrastructure to scale up their productions, a private 5G network ecosystem can help them in multiple ways:

• Manufacturing: Be it implementing autonomous driving vehicles, or installing cameras enabled with AI/ML capability for fault detection across intricate areas, a private 5G will provide the bandwidth needed for it.

• Mining: Safety has always been a challenge and the demand for ores has increased. Automated drilling, robotics has increased the ore extraction rate with safety. Deploying drones across the fields, surveillance cameras and connected head-gears will help in staying connected across different zones of mining, thus making it safer to work.

• Oil and Gas: From extraction to production, this industry faces challenges across all its streams, keeping the temperatures in check, maintaining safety across the offshore and safe transportation to refineries. Everything needs to be in check and within given conditions to avoid accidents, private 5G provides the coverage and real-time monitoring of all the devices ensuring that necessary actions are taken on time.

• Healthcare: Remote surgery, Tele-radiology, follow-up and distant monitoring are becoming widespread. Constant tracking of patients and critical surgeries with the help of robots can be supported using private 5G.

• Agriculture: Monitoring crops, soil moisture, irrigation across large acres of land along with harvesting the crops at the right time is critical. Sensors, drones and autonomous robots deployed and connected through a private 5G will make the job easier.

• IT Offices and Parks: Increased demand to connect all the operation technologies within the campus like parking system, security communication, lighting system, water sprinkler  management, energy metering for better quality of experience and reduction of operational expenses. A private 5G can smoothen work-flow across the offices.

• Warehouses and Logistics: Time is critical when it comes to logistics, and a major chunk of it is wasted tracking products within the warehouses. Installing autonomous guided vehicles along with AI and ML will help in tracking the product with ease, along with efficient prediction of time required for delivery.

Private 5G will be a catalyst to speed up innovation and new use cases will emanate over the coming decade.

Implementation of private 5G is inevitable, and hurdles are obvious to occur. Industries need to invest and adapt to this technology. Private 5G deployment would need the end device suppliers, the 5G radio OEMs, the 5G Packet Core provider, application vendors and System Integrator to come together, collaborate and show the real value proposition to customers.

Niral Networks is helping out industries and enterprises of varying sizes to deploy and monitor a private 5G network. NiralOS is a network operating system for Private 5G and contains Niral 5G Core, Niral Edge Cloud platform and the Niral Controller. Niral 5G Core runs on commodity servers and is integrable with 5G radio from various OEMs. Applications like Drone, Robotics, IOT can be easily deployed on Niral Edge Platform and remotely managed using Niral Controller. Our team boasts of a strong experience in telecom and networking who can deep dive into clients’ requirements and provide optimal private 5G solutions for digital transformation of the Enterprise. We look forward to connecting and collaborating with you.