GSA identifies 4G/5G private network deployments in 40 countries

London, UK, May 17, 2021 - The Global Mobile Suppliers Association (GSA) has today identified 40 countries with spectrum licenses for private networks based on or suitable for LTE or 5G. GSA’s latest report on the state of the market has been able to catalogue 311 private mobile network deployments being deployed around the world.

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GSA data indicates that the manufacturing industry is an early adopter of local area private mobile networks, with 67 identified companies holding appropriate licenses or participating in known pilots or deployments of possible local area networks (up from 51 at the beginning of 2021). The mining industry follows closely behind, with ports also actively trialing/deploying local area private mobile networks. Within the manufacturing industry, the automotive sub-sector is an early leader in private network investment and adoption. Automotive companies account for more than a quarter (26.9%) of the 67 identified manufacturing companies that hold appropriate licenses or are involved in known pilots or deployments.

The latest GSA report, Private Mobile Networks – Market Status Update (May 2021), includes data by country/region for identified private network deployments (pilot and commercial), as well as a breakdown of private mobile network deployments by type (LAN vs. WAN), technology (LTE, 5G, LTE and 5G), and status (pilot or production deployment). It also includes details on the number of private mobile network deployments identified by sector, as well as further breakdowns into the manufacturing vertical market. A data annex is available to GSA members and associates, detailing those organizations that are deploying LTE- or 5G-based private mobile networks (on a pilot or commercial basis), or hold licenses suitable for private LTE or 5G network deployments (publicly announced companies only).

A free executive summary of the Private Mobile Networks - Update (May 2021) report can be downloaded here:

https://gsacom.com/paper/private-mobile-networks-executive-summary-may-2021/

“The private mobile network market has a diverse range of service providers, including equipment/technology vendors, mobile network operators, system integrators and private network end users, some of which are also responsible for installing or operating their own infrastructure,” commented Joe Barrett, President of the Global Mobile Suppliers Association. “GSA has counted 38 equipment vendors that are involved in the supply of equipment for private mobile networks based on LTE or 5G. In addition, we have identified 63 public network operators who are known to be involved in 106 projects between them. This broad ecosystem of vendors, operators and vertical markets is what GSA is continuing to track and report on for its members and the wider industry.”

To improve information on this market, GSA is now maintaining a database of private LTE and 5G networks worldwide. The database contains specific information on 311 companies known to be deploying LTE or 5G private mobile networks, or known to have obtained licenses suitable for deploying LTE or 5G private networks (but not those that have deployed alternative technologies), allowing analysis of the market's evolution, and is constantly growing. This latest report is the fifth in a series tracking the development of the industry and includes data annexes for GSA members.