From Factory Floors to Campuses: Why Private 5G Will Be the Backbone of Today’s Smart Enterprise 

As per Gartner, 91% of businesses are embarking on digital initiatives with 87% of business leaders prioritizing digitalization. Another key stat by IDC asserts that AI technology will be inserted into the processes and products of at least 90% of new enterprise apps by 2025.  

Digitalization will drive many new workloads to private 5G instead of Wi-Fi or public cellular 

As organizations embrace digital transformation, the need for reliable network coverage has rapidly increased. In today’s digital age, continuous and consistent coverage forms the backbone that supports digital transformation across almost all industries. Whether its college campuses, factory floors or even remote energy sites, reliable network connectivity is critical. 

Most enterprises rely on public cellular networks and Wi-Fi for wireless connectivity. But these each come with some shortcomings. Public cellular networks with its “one-size-fits-all” solution often falls short for enterprises that need greater control and consistent performance. Public cellular relies on limited public towers, incurs high per-subscriber costs, and compromises security by routing private traffic through public networks.  Wi-Fi, even though a default in most enterprises, falls short for outdoor environments and not suited for RF-challenging environments due to potential interference. 

Enter private 5G – A game-changing innovation that’s designed to meet the growing and dynamic connectivity demands of today’s smarter enterprise.   

Private 5G Mobile Networks: The fast lane for uninterrupted wireless connectivity  

Private 5G is a fully isolated and private cellular network that can be run by enterprises to address a certain site, application, or use case. Think of a private 5G mobile network as the HOV lane on a crowded highway—offering dedicated and uninterrupted connectivity for critical business operations, while Wi-Fi or public networks could be “stuck in traffic”. 

Discover why private 5G networks are revolutionizing industries in this insightful video chat with Stu Stout, Director of Systems Engineering at Highway 9 Networks.  

 Highlighting some core reasons why private 5G needs to be considered-  

• Dedicated Infrastructure: With private 5G, companies can now erect their network infrastructure to meet ever-evolving connectivity needs rather than depending on the commonly available public infrastructure.   

• Customization: Private 5G can be tailored, from spectrum to network architecture, to meet the needs of a certain application or use case – public cellular is not customizable by the enterprise customer.   

• Security: The data on a private 5G network is never out of the enterprise boundary and is less vulnerable to data leaks. Advanced security mechanisms can be easily implemented and customized to meet specific operational requirements.   

• Ultra-low Latency: Private 5G is designed to provide ultra-low latency, below one millisecond, useful for time-sensitive applications.   

• High Reliability: Private 5G networks can operate on dedicated or lightly licensed spectrum bands, reducing the risk of interference commonly encountered in the unlicensed spectrum used by Wi-Fi. This leads to more reliable and predictable network performance.  

Private 5G networks can be complementary to existing Wi-Fi networks. With several advantages over Wi-Fi that include lower latency, high-density concurrent connections, and QoS via network slicing, it can provide reliable connectivity to critical infrastructure and apps while Wi-Fi can provide wireless connectivity for mainstream traditional indoors applications.   

From Factory Floors to Campuses: Private 5G Driving Business Innovation   

From an estimated $2.4B market size in 2021, the global consumer expenditure on private 5G is expected to rise to $5.7B in 2024 (IDC). And the reason is obvious — private 5G mobile networks can be applied to a variety of innovative use cases across industries including manufacturing, energy, transportation, etc. Let us look at some major use cases driving increased adoption:   

Higher Education: Campus-wide coverage and smart operations 

• Campus-Wide Communication: Private 5G provides reliable access to information, apps and key services for faculty, students, and staff across the entire campus. 

• Extended Outdoor Coverage: The extended range, and NLOS capabilities of private 5G  helps extend outdoor coverage and provide uninterrupted connectivity to help students engage in learning activities without being confined to indoor spaces. 

• Enhanced Safety and Security: Maintains a continuous connection to key services like e911 and emergency blue poles/surveillance systems, eliminating dead zones and blind spots throughout the campus. 

• Research: Private 5G delivers the low latency and high bandwidth needed for AI, edge computing, and real-time collaboration, supporting advanced research and large data transfers. 

• Connected Operations: Enhances predictive maintenance and asset tracking with connected devices and AI, covering both indoor and outdoor areas. 

Industry 4.0: Smart factory, intelligent warehousing and connected logistics 

• Connected Factory: Private 5G guarantees wireless connectivity for latency-sensitive automation and robotics on the floor. Some examples are connectivity for manufacturing equipment, process control and real-time monitoring of machinery or equipment.   

• Intelligent Warehousing: Some use cases include the use of connected forklifts, real-time inventory tracking, and the use of autonomous robots.   

• Yard Operations: Private 5G’s extended range provide long range coverage across loading docks, storage yards, and intermodal facilities at much lower cost than Wi-Fi. 

• Quality Control & Defect Detection: Private 5G enables real-time AI-driven defect detection by providing fast, reliable connectivity for cameras and sensors on production lines to feed real-time visual data. 

• Facilities & Security Automation: Private 5G extends coverage across a facility, allowing seamless connectivity for security devices like badge readers, timecard machines, and remote cameras.  

Energy: Grid management and connected infrastructure 

• Workforce Connectivity– Always-on connectivity helps workers to stay connected, even when operating across remote sites. Moreover, adoption of automation and robotics further streamlines operations and enhances worker safety.  

• Safety and Inspections- Scheduled safety and regulatory inspections with rugged wireless tablets or handhelds depend on uninterrupted, real-time data connectivity and low-latency video conferencing.   

• Intelligent Grid Management- Real-time intelligent grid monitoring and management using private 5G connectivity leads to efficient energy distribution, minimized disruptions, and optimal grid reliability through timely data analysis.   

• Operational Technology (OT) Monitoring – Estate-wide monitoring of critical operational controls rely on secure, reliable network connectivity. Ultra-reliable mobile coverage ensures efficient management of OT and essential systems across the energy site.   

Examples of Private 5G Use Cases Across Verticals  

Introducing Highway 9 Mobile Cloud  

Highway 9 and its Mobile Cloud offering is all about helping organizations leverage the potential of private 5G and private mobile networks to achieve the goal of their business digitization strategy. It simplifies and automates the deployment of private 5G mobile networks for enterprise and campus environments. The Highway 9 Mobile Cloud is a cloud-based solution that provides an easier and faster rollout of a private 4G/5G network, while also greatly simplifying its ongoing operation and improving visibility, security and control.  

The Highway 9 Mobile Cloud tightly integrates with existing Wi-Fi and other enterprise IT infrastructure network firewalls, NAC, etc.