TECHNICAL
enterprise spaces, industrial facilities, public venues, hospitals, hotels, higher education campuses and schools across the United States. Similar neutral host coverage solutions are also expected to gain traction in other national markets. For example, in Japan, private cellular integrators are actively negotiating with the country’s mobile operators to deploy neutral host small cells in 1.9GHz sXGP spectrum. Finally, it is important to acknowledge the significance of spectrum liberalisation initiatives worldwide, which have played a pivotal role in driving the expansion of private 4G/5G networks from a niche market to a cornerstone of industrial digitisation and automation. The availability of shared and locally licensed spectrum in the United States, Germany, United Kingdom, France, Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, Brazil and other pioneering markets has effectively eliminated barriers to spectrum access for private networks. In countries where suitable spectrum is yet to be allocated, public mobile operators are increasingly being mandated by regulators to lease portions of their national spectrum holdings for private network deployments in specific geographic locations.
Conclusion As more end user organisations recognise the practical and quantifiable benefits of private 4G/5G networks, SNS Telecom & IT expects the market to continue its positive momentum, with private network deployments targeting a host of diverse use cases. These extend from remote connectivity for mobile workers in mines, refineries, offshore windfarms and other isolated facilities to reliable, low- latency wireless links for AGVs, AMRs, autonomous yard trucks and forklifts for material transportation across indoor and outdoor spaces in manufacturing plants and distribution centres. Although some of these application scenarios have historically been addressed by non-cellular technologies, the business case for private 4G/5G networks is getting stronger with the world’s largest manufacturers and industrial giants committing to multi-site, multi-national deployments of the technology. In particular, a growing number of recent projects are specifically aimed at substituting dozens of Wi-Fi access points with a much smaller footprint of on-premise cellular infrastructure to provide consistent and uninterruptable wireless coverage in expansive industrial facilities, where Wi-Fi signals are often obstructed by metal structures, machinery and thick concrete walls. With the private 4G/5G market’s transition from predominantly 4G LTE networks to standalone 5G technology supporting lower latency and greater reliability, industrial users are setting their long- term sights on 5G connectivity to reduce dependence on wired connections for OT communications between machines, robots and control systems. Newer private 5G security solutions are also enabling the convergence of IT and OT domains in a secure manner with SIM-based authentication, end-to-end encryption and traffic segregation. Another emerging trend is the growing recognition of private network-based neutral host solutions for public cellular coverage enhancement in indoor locations where DAS systems are deemed too costly and complex to deploy. Facilitated by the open accessibility of 3.5GHz CBRS spectrum, private networks supporting neutral host connectivity are increasingly being deployed in carpeted
operations. One of the world’s largest home appliance manufacturers has achieved more than $2 million in annual cost savings at an air conditioner factory by employing private 5G connectivity for paperless inspection tablets, machine vision and AGVs. Similarly, a steelmaker has cut labour costs by 23% and decreased energy consumption by 10% since installing a private 5G network to remotely operate heavy machinery at a steel plant. Among other examples, a supplier of aluminum die castings has reducing cable maintenance costs to near zero by replacing 6 miles of cables connecting 600 pieces of machinery with a private 5G network. communications from unlicensed Wi-Fi to private 5G networks at its logistics parks. An online retailer has reduced connection timeouts by an impressive 70% since migrating AGV
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Worker Safety
Additionally, private 4G/5G networks have led to substantial improvements in worker safety and accident reduction. An energy giant has reduced accidents and harmful gas emissions by 20% and 30% respectively since adopting an explosive- proof private 5G network at an oil refinery. In a similar vein, a multi-national offshore private 4G network has improved oil and gas worker safety with a 75% reduction in hazardous, manual inspections. Furthermore, mining companies have been able to reduce the workers needed in dangerous underground and exposed areas by up to a third through the application of private 4G/5G-enabled unmanned machinery and remote control from a safe distance.
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May 2025 Volume 47 No.2
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