“5G is like 4G, but faster.”
When most of the talk on 5G revolves around speed, you’d be forgiven for believing the statement above.
But 5G is so much more than speed. It has the power to open up a whole range of tech advancements that 4G can’t.
A government review predicted that higher productivity from 5G adoption could add between £41 billion and £159 billion to the UK economy by 2035.
The problem is, phrases like ‘higher data volumes’ and ‘reduced latency’ (as powerful as these features are) often mean little to someone outside the telecoms industry.
But what about higher crop yields for farmers? Less pressure on NHS staff? Billions more in value for UK industries?
These are all genuine possibilities (all of which we’ll go into in more detail in this blog). And all of them start with one thing: 5G.
But what if there isn’t 5G coverage available on your farm or in your hospital? That’s where things get interesting.
With a 5G private network you can deliver your own connectivity.
What is a private 5G network?
As the name suggests, public networks – like the mobile network you use for your personal phone or WiFi in an airport or a café – allow access to pretty much anyone.
For some organisations a private network is going to be more appropriate and better suited to helping you run the tech you need without any issues.
So what exactly is a private network and how does it differ from the mobile networks we’re used to?
Firstly, public 5G networks are managed by a mobile network operator, not the organisation that’s using them. So if you’re that organisation you simply don’t have as much control as you would with a private 5G network, which you manage yourself (or with the help of a third-party supplier).
Then there’s the fact that public 5G networks are built to accommodate the needs of the many, not the few. Aside from the obvious data and privacy implications here, a public network is going to be general purpose rather than tailored to your specific needs like a private network would be.
Why do you need a private network?
We mentioned some of the more obvious differences between public and private networks above. But what about some of the lesser known benefits?
Here are a few reasons organisations should opt for private rather than public.
- More security and control. Unlike public networks, private networks are fully locked down and only grant access to specific users and devices – employees and their work phone or laptop, for example. Whether you’re protecting sensitive data or operating critical infrastructure, you’re much less likely to lose sleep when you know who and what is on your network.
- Guaranteed coverage and capacity. Ever been at a busy event and not been able to get any signal? That’s usually down to a lack of network capacity. Now imagine you’re in a sector that simply cannot go on pause, something like healthcare or manufacturing. Because a private network is restricted to specific users, you can guarantee capacity and make sure connectivity is always available, no matter what happens.
- Better options for uploading. The average person using a phone on a public network is more concerned with downloading data, whether that’s watching a video or listening to music. For certain types of organisations, however, there’s often a need to upload large amounts of data every day. With a private network you can configure your data upload and download allowances to suit your specific needs.
These are good general reasons to opt for a private 5G network.
But what about the real-world benefits we mentioned in the intro, the ones that could change whole industries?
Let’s look at 5G in action
There are many potential uses for private 5G in the UK, some of which we haven’t even begun to comprehend yet.
Here are some of the most exciting examples we’ve seen so far.
- More automation can help overcome labour shortages and improve worker safety, while better use of data can help reduce waste and produce much higher yields – one UK trial found that crop yields could be increased by up to 200% by accurately capturing data about each individual plant. This kind of monitoring can also help minimise the use of harmful chemicals.
- Health and social care. 5G opens the door for things like more effective long-distance consultations and easier tracking and monitoring of patient data. It’s also more reliable and secure, which is vital for a sector like healthcare where the network simply cannot fail. And it can help decentralise health and social care services to support the government’s shift to a more prevention-focussed approach.
- More investment in 5G could bring a £6.3 billion boost to the manufacturing industry by 2030, according to research by Vodafone. This is largely thanks to things like predictive maintenance, more automation, less downtime and the ability to make digital replicas of manufacturing environments for risk-free testing.
Of course, some of these benefits are only theoretical for now. But all of them are possible with the right investment and vision.
The time for testing is over
5G has now moved beyond test cases now. We are entering the phase of making these things happen – at speed and scale.
For that to happen, however, public and private sector organisations must join forces with local authorities to accelerate 5G private network adoption across places and regions, releasing its untapped potential for innovation and economic growth.
Want to know how?
