AWS Positions Itself As One-Stop Solution for Private 5G Networks
At its re:Invent 2021 event in early December, Amazon Web Services (AWS) launched a pre-integrated managed service for private 5G networks.
Insight
AWS used its annual showcase event to launch a managed private 5G service, AWS Private 5G, a plug-and-play, pay-as-you-go, one-stop solution comprised of small cell radio access network (RAN) units, core and RAN software, mobile device SIM cards, and edge server and edge-cloud resources on which the system runs. The service supports remotely located 5G core network functions hosted by AWS as well as network edge functions in on-site AWS Outposts — a move that could bring it into competition with operators, although for now there seems to be enough market separation to mitigate any friction with its operator customers.
Analysis
- AWS Private 5G is designed to help companies build dedicated on-site private networks at their facilities in days instead of months, with customers able to order from a website, specifying where they want to build, the required network capacity for their devices, the number of SIMs and so on. AWS delivers and deploys pre-integrated radio units, servers, core and RAN software, and SIM cards, and maintains the private 5G network.
- Although no partners were named, AWS already works with Mavenir on RAN and Athonet as a core network partner. Set-up and deployment of AWS Private 5G is automated, and the service scales capacity on demand to support additional devices and network traffic. There are no upfront fees or per-device costs, and customers only pay for the network capacity and throughput they request. AWS CEO Adam Selipsky described the product as “shockingly easy” to use.
- Although private mobile networks offer considerable potential benefits to enterprises in supporting digital transformation and implementing innovative new uses, there is potential complexity too, as solutions typically require a combination of providers for network connectivity, networking equipment, cloud provision, systems integration, devices and application development. Integrating all of these with an enterprise’s existing IT infrastructure and services is non-trivial, so a simplified, pre-integrated solution like AWS Private 5G has appeal. Enterprises do not need to procure and integrate software and hardware components from multiple suppliers, configure and operate the mobile network or undertake a lengthy procurement process to increase network capacity when usage scales up. Nor must they manage different security policies and systems for each type of device connected to a private mobile network, a headache for integration with IT management systems. Customers simply insert the AWS-supplied SIM cards into their devices.
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AWS Positions Itself As One-Stop Solution for Private 5G Networks
