Why Private LTE is a Smarter Choice than 5G

As connected technology continues to advance, businesses will become increasingly reliant on mobile connectivity and coverage. Stephen Kowal, chief commercial officer at Nextivity, noted that while 5G gets all the attention, private LTE is a more viable and cost-effective option given current infrastructure in the United States.

Today, we rely on smart, connected technologies not only for basic communications, but also to power devices and machines that need to work at faster speeds and lower latency. While 5G has received a lot of attention for the opportunities it brings, the current 5G infrastructure in the United States is not sufficient to support widespread and cost-effective 5G adoption across public and private network use cases.

As businesses and building owners embrace Internet of Things (IoT) technology, from simple sensors to complex robots, the market for reliable connectivity will only grow faster. Experts at Statista predict that the number of devices worldwide that are connected to each other, collecting and analyzing data, and working autonomously to perform tasks will nearly triple from 9.7 billion in 2020 to 29.4 billion in 2030. This poses a major problem for many decision-makers responsible for managing networks and IT infrastructure: With so many devices requiring wireless connectivity and the high cost of 5G, how will they enable IoT devices?

Public networks aren’t enough

Standard public LTE and 4G coverage coupled with Wi-Fi can be a solution for many companies, but while commonly used among consumers, these public networks do not guarantee the high throughput, low latency, and strong reliability required for enterprise IoT. Some public networks and Wi-Fi services may offer customization in terms of signal penetration that takes into account building construction materials, but do not necessarily provide enterprises with control over data usage and service prioritization, allowing certain devices to have faster or slower network speeds than others - a necessary condition for effective IoT device operation.

Private LTE networks offer a very cost-effective solution. With the government allocating new spectrum called Citizens Broadband Radio Service (CBRS) in 2020, there are now more frequency bands available for enterprises to build private networks. Although LTE networks are not as fast as 5G networks and do not offer diverse features, they are currently the most cost-effective solution for enterprises.

Benefits of Private LTE

Private networks are local cellular networks designed to support business needs beyond what public cellular networks can provide. Private LTE offers several benefits, including a high degree of service-level customization and built-in security.

Private networks offer these benefits, allowing enterprises to avoid crowded and vulnerable public networks and enabling enterprises to tailor their networks to the needs of critical business applications. Because the organization deploying the private network is the only one using it, the enterprise has greater control over the prioritization of data traffic, giving it the opportunity to design a network that can handle its unique connectivity needs and ensure that the most critical applications run smoothly. Specifically, enterprises can determine how resources are allocated and how traffic is prioritized, including customizing parameters to optimize reliability based on the organization's settings.

In many cases, private LTE is a preferable solution to 5G because 4G and LTE technologies have been more readily available and affordable as they have been adopted and improved over the past decade. In addition to the limited number of 5G devices currently approved for use with CBRS, private 5G networks can cost nearly 2x more than private LTE solutions.

Who Benefits from Private LTE Networks?

Manufacturing is the sector that is currently seeing the most immediate use case for private LTE networks. Imagine the process of painting an aircraft part in a factory. The worker doing the painting job wears a pair of AR glasses to guide the painting for the best results. The data collected by the glasses and environmental sensors is passed to another person in the control room, who can make paint purchasing decisions in real time because they have a clear understanding of the inventory levels of the paint being used. All the different sensors capture safety, quality, health and supply chain data and present it in real time, allowing decision makers to act accordingly.

The backbone that makes it all happen is a network that supports and ensures high bandwidth, low latency at the exact time the work is being performed – it needs to be tailored to the workflow of the business. The wide range and high bandwidth coverage of private LTE networks is ideally suited for this.

There are countless other industries that are also beginning to implement private LTE networks. Warehouses, hospitals, mines, and commercial buildings across the country are deploying private networks to support business processes. From managing energy usage to powering autonomous warehouse robots, private networks allow businesses to work more efficiently.

How to set up LTE private network?

Simply put, private LTE solutions work similarly to how public LTE works in buildings. Before any deployment, system integrators conduct a walkthrough of the building to find dead spots and areas with weak signals.

Working with network engineers and network solution providers, integrators will recommend the right equipment and any necessary hardware to ensure consistent connectivity throughout the building, helping to support the capabilities required by the business. To enable a private LTE network that leverages the CBRS spectrum, a building requires three basic infrastructure elements: a signal source, an evolved packet core, and devices or client devices that can communicate on the CBRS spectrum. A subscriber module, typically in the form of a SIM card or e-SIM card, provides devices with access to the network, making the network truly private to the organization.

Once installed, enterprises can set up key performance indicators such as machine uptime, dropped calls, and energy usage to measure the value and success of their newly deployed private LTE network. Since the enterprise has full control over the network and spectrum, it can troubleshoot and adjust the network as needed.

It’s time for businesses to upgrade and embrace what smart technology has to offer. While private 5G has become a buzzword in the industry, private LTE networks are powerful, accessible, and more affordable. As a key cornerstone of many businesses’ digital transformation journey, adopting private LTE networks is the starting point on the road to widespread private networks in the Fourth Industrial Revolution.