Private Networks – November 2021 – Member Report
Introduction
The demand for private mobile networks based on LTE (and increasingly 5G) technologies is being driven by the spiralling data, security, digitisation and enterprise mobility requirements of modern business and government entities. Organisations of all types are combining connected systems with big data and analytics to transform operations, increase automation and efficiency or deliver new services to their users. Wireless networking with LTE or 5G enables these transformations to take place even in the most dynamic, remote or highly secure environments, while offering the scale benefits of a technology that has already been deployed worldwide.
The arrival of LTE-Advanced systems delivered a step change in network capacity and throughput, while 5G networks have brought improved density (support for larger numbers of users or devices), even greater capacity, as well as dramatic improvements to latency that enable use of mobile technology for time-critical applications.
In addition to companies looking to develop their own private mobile networks for the first time, there is a large base of potential customers who currently operate LMR/PMR private networks based on technologies such as TETRA, P25 and DMR. These customers are demanding critical broadband services that are simply not available from alternative technologies and consequently, private mobile networks based on LTE and 5G have the potential to eventually replace much of this market.
The exact number of existing private mobile network deployments is hard to determine, as details are not often made public. In order to improve information about this market, GSA is now maintaining a database of private LTE and 5G networks worldwide.
GSA has identified 55 countries/territories with private network deployments based on LTE or 5G or LTE or where 5G-suitable private network spectrum licences have been assigned. In addition, there are private mobile network installations in various offshore locations serving the oil and gas industries, as well as on ships.
GSA has collated information about 775 organisations known to be deploying LTE or 5G private mobile networks, or known to have been granted a licence suitable for the deployment of a private LTE or 5G network (but excluding those that have deployed alternative technologies) – up from 626 catalogued organisations in the last issue. Within this count there are 664 organisations catalogued to have deployed, or to be deploying private mobile networks based on LTE or 5G. The rest hold suitable local/private spectrum licences. (This includes data about deployments made confidentially available to GSA.)
GSA would like to thank its Executive Members Ericsson, Huawei and Nokia for sharing information about their contracts to enable this dataset and report to be produced.
Private mobile networks – players and market statistics
The private mobile networks market is home to a wide range of service providers, including equipment/technology vendors, mobile network operators, systems integrators and the private network end-users (who sometimes take responsibility for installing or operating their own infrastructure). GSA has counted over 50 equipment vendors that have been involved in the supply of equipment for private mobile networks based on LTE or 5G. In addition, it has identified over 70 telecoms network operators (counting national operators within the same group as distinct entities) involved with projects, so it is clear end-users are not all breaking ties with existing telecoms services providers.
GSA has been able to categorise 775 private mobile network investors (up from 626 in our last issue), which as Figure 1 shows, are located all around the world.
Private Networks – November 2021 – Member Report
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