Having a 5G mobile private network is a high priority when it comes to critical infrastructure and their security and stability. At the same time, 5G mobile private networks help enterprises and industries with specific network requirements to optimize network performance independent of mobile carriers. How exactly this works and what design options are available for 5G mobile private networks, such as Open-RAN based networks, you can find out here!
How a 5G mobile private network works
5G mobile private networks are networks that are provided specifically for industrial applications and can only be used within the company’s own premises. They offer industrial customers the opportunity to extend their own network with a 5G mobile private network for their respective applications. As a result, business-critical data does not pass through third-party networks, but remains securely in the company’s own mobile private network. This is realized by using private frequency bands provided by the Federal Network Agency.
5G offers higher capacity and lower latency than previous mobile networks. Among other things, this makes it possible to use more devices and applications for a wide variety of use cases simultaneously on the corporate campus. This is particularly useful in the field of IoT or IIoT (Industrial Internet of Things) to connect the many devices to the network and manage them centrally. The mobile private network is set up from the outset in such a way that it guarantees very high network stability across the entire campus, based on the application requirements.
The 5G campus network can also be tailored to meet specific latency, redundancy, speed, availability and bandwidth requirements. For example, companies can prioritize bandwidth for specific applications or users. Thus, the performance of the network is not only guaranteed, but also designed to be power efficient!
Conventional RAN vs. Open RAN
5G mobile private networks can be deployed in a variety of ways. On the one hand, there is the conventional RAN (radio access network) architecture, which includes vendor-owned systems. The Open RAN approach, on the contrary, brings a flexible and dynamic architecture in the construction of the radio network (RAN). Open RAN architectures separate the hardware from the software, enabling the cross-vendor use of standard hardware and software solutions.
A vendor-specific solution with conventional RAN is a particular hindrance if the network is to be further expanded or optimized in the future. The integration of a new mobile communications standard, for example, would then require a costly and time-consuming replacement or reconstruction of the hardware.
Open-RAN, on the other hand, increases independence from conventional providers in the telecommunications industry, so that the most suitable technical solution can always be selected. The flexible Open RAN infrastructure makes it easier and more cost-effective to roll out new functions to sites in a centralized and automated manner.
What do users choose?
In the past, the decision was left to conventional RAN vendors due to the non-existence of Open RAN solutions. In the meantime, however, Open-RAN-based campus networks represent a much more forward-looking solution, offering enterprises more control and design options in their network usage, management and optimization.
Fraunhofer HHI, in cooperation with the University of Passau, have found that Open RAN can now guarantee the same level of security as conventional RAN solutions. Read more
Long-term, innovative projects such as the 5G mobile private network illumination of a test track for autonomous driving vehicles by ZF or the seaport of Wismar are therefore increasingly implemented with Open-RAN based 5G mobile private networks. Read more
