What is the difference between Private 4G LTE and Private 5G?

Many enterprises are deploying private 4G LTE (short for Long Term Evolution) and private 5G networks to meet use cases where Wi-Fi cannot provide coverage, security, and compatibility with public cellular networks. In 4G LTE and 5G networks, edge devices transmit data via radio waves to a radio access network (RAN) transceiver, which then transmits the message to the core network. The Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) is one of the most prevalent use cases for private 4G LTE and private 5G networks.

4G is the most widely used mobile technology in the world, having entered the market in 2010. It is largely responsible for the integration of smart devices into everyday use. With average download speeds of up to 100 Mbps, 4G networks enable downloading of high-definition video files, 3D gaming, music streaming, virtual reality, and many other services. The distinction between public 4G LTE networks and private networks is the same for 5G, involving priority access and isolation as mentioned above.

While private 5G networks are an evolution of 4G LTE networks, they can still work together as part of an enterprise's private network. It is possible to have a private cellular network that uses both 4G LTE and 5G technologies because they operate on different frequency bands, minimizing potential interference even in the same area. This is an additional advantage that 4G LTE and 5G networks offer over Wi-Fi. Unlike 4G and 5G, Wi-Fi uses unlicensed spectrum and frequency bands, which can experience congestion in densely populated areas where bandwidth is limited.

4G LTE and 5G networks are also compatible with public networks, allowing deployment in hybrid multi-access edge computing (MEC) environments. Multi-access edge computing is an evolution of cloud computing that uses mobility, cloud technology, and edge computing to move application hosts from centralized data centers to the edge of the network, bringing applications closer to end users and computing services closer to the data created by the applications.

5G is increasingly moving towards software-defined implementations. This trend is called Network Function Virtualization (NFV). It started with 4G and is becoming more widely used with 5G. Instead of using specialized hardware, ordinary servers are used. An example is the RAN function, which is not implemented with special and expensive hardware devices at the base station, but with standard servers and the software running on them.