The War For Private 5G Networks

On 19th May 2022, Union Minister for Railways, Communications, Electronics, and Information Technology Ashwini Vaishnaw made the first 5G call on a trial network set up at IIT Madras using completely indigenously developed technology.

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Taking to Twitter, Vaishnaw wrote, “Aatmanirbhar 5G successfully tested 5G call at IIT Madras. The entire end-to-end network is designed and developed in India.” Quite the historic moment indeed.

This came immediately on the heels of a live demonstration held by indigenous network technology companies, coordinated under the banner of “Voice”, (Voice of Indian Comtech Enterprises), a society of Indian telecom design companies. It hosted demonstrations of “end-to-end” Private 5G /4G networks using indigenous technology developed by SMEs and Startups between 16-18th May 2022.

5G networks are expected to bring in improved connection density (support for larger numbers of users or devices), even greater capacity, as well as major improvements to latency that enable use of mobile technology for time-critical applications.

The entire eco-system was stitched together using different equipment developed by Indian entrepreneurs – to build a full-blown 5G network – because an end customer (be it an enterprise or a captive private network) does not buy a radio access network, RAN, IP multimedia system, IMS, a network management system, NMS, or an internet of things, IOT or machine to machine, M2M device in isolation. Customers want an end-to-end solution.

Ashwini Vaishnaw individually spoke to each of the participants at their booths on the 13th Floor in Sanchar Bhawan and tried to understand their technology, the use cases, their plans for the future, and how they could scale up their deployments in India (see story “Domestic Platform for 5G”)

All of this comes at a time when the Indian Government is soon expected to finalise conditions for 5G spectrum auctions. The Digital Communications Commission on 17th May approved the 5G Spectrum auctions in line with the TRAI recommendations and is awaiting Cabinet approval.

It is an interesting moment because the Cellular Operators Association of India (COAI) had submitted a letter opposing any reservation of spectrum specifically for Private Captive Networks. COAI has requested not to reserve any spectrum identified for IMT, for Private Captive Networks, and instead requires this to be provided by sub-leasing of the network of mobile operators. This is a concept that is endorsed by DoT which has suggested using Network Slices to be leased from the public network run by Operators. Else private networks should participate in upcoming Spectrum Auctions directly.

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As industrial/enterprise applications of 5G are considered key enablers of 5G monetization, it is important to understand these developments and why 5G for vertical markets makes a big difference in fuelling innovation and driving socio-economic development in India.

What is a Private Network?

3GPP has referred to a private network in 3GPP TS 22.261 as a Non-Public Network (NPN) and has been defined as “a network that is intended for non-public use”.

According to GSA, the demand for private mobile networks based on 4G LTE (and increasingly 5G) technologies is being driven by the spiraling data, security, digitisation, and enterprise mobility requirements of modern business and government entities. While LTE delivered a remarkable improvement in network capacity and throughput, 5G networks are expected to bring in improved connection density (support for larger numbers of users or devices), even greater capacity, as well as major improvements to the latency that enable the use of mobile technology for time-critical applications.

How can we benefit from Private Networks in India?

Campus Networks

Campus Networks are small, local networks designed for a set geographical area. They can range anywhere from a few hundred square meters indoors to a few square kilometers outdoors. This implies such campus network deployments can work as an extension of enterprise PABX systems, providing higher coverage and supporting mobility. Factory campuses with multiple plants over various sites can be connected via private wireless networks. With the support of ultra-reliable low latency communications in 5G, such networks can help in plant monitoring and faster fault troubleshooting.

Value illustration: When oil and gas facilities deploy private cellular networks, reduced downtime and increased productivity make for an overall more cost-effective and efficient operation. On average, oil and gas producers experience 32 hours of unplanned downtime every month. By applying asset condition monitoring to pumps and compressors, maintenance sessions can be reduced by 25%, as well as unplanned downtime by 32%. It also extends the life of equipment by 25%. (Source: Ericsson)

While collecting data based on sensors is important for forest fire tracking purposes, quick transmission and analysis of the data, for instance with edge computing, will be crucial to enabling rapid response, helping first responders to combat fires and evacuate those in the path of danger.

Industry 4.0

Private Networks, which provide dedicated network resources, are ideal for Enterprises embarking on their journey towards digital transformation or Industry 4.0. Use cases with industrial applications include industrial monitoring and control, sensor data monitoring, connected workers, location and tracking, robotics, self-driving/autonomous guided vehicles, and many other critical IoT technologies and next-gen emergency services.

In addition to connectivity, adding Multi-access Edge Computing (MEC) in order to host low-latency customer apps minimizes the elapsed time from device to data. And ultimately, it speeds up analysis and decision-making.

Value illustration: In August 2020, Nokia in a blog post on its website, described how Private 5G was easily the best option in a bid for private wireless networks for a large paper mill that had no wireless networks deployed; Nokia was competing with a well-known Wi-Fi 6 vendor. “The first thing that struck me and the rest of the team, was that our total bid came in lower than the competitor’s Wi-Fi site survey cost,” said the author in the blog post.

Like most paper mills, the plant was massive with very big machines, high ceilings, lots of metal, and many moving assets — meaning, like in most industrial sites, a very complex radio environment with the need for extensive and pervasive coverage. As well to a large indoor, they needed to cover the outdoor area. The Wi-Fi vendor proposed close to several hundred Wi-Fi access points (APs) to ensure indoor and outdoor coverage.

With a private wireless (LTE/4.9G) solution, Nokia claimed they could do it with just a few tens of Micro-BTS outdoors, and a few Indoor-Pico BTS. Nokia’s bid came close to 20% of the competitor’s bid, showing the cost benefits of private networks based on cellular wireless. Further, WiFi is not great at handling interference in large areas as the number of access points is many.

Railways/Metro/Airports/Ports

Utility companies, railway stations, Airports, Ports, and accident sites would benefit from a private network that would replace all legacy communications to create a unified communications platform. Railway accident relief trains can provide immediate voice and data communication using private networks that will work seamlessly with their laid-out communication system.

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Value illustration: The Smart Ports value calculator, developed by Ericsson, shows a 178% Return on Investment and payback within 2 years for a port with a container capacity of 4 million per year. This is based on the private cellular network-based deployment of automated RTG cranes, remote control of ship-to-shore cranes, cellular-connected AGVs, condition monitoring, and drones for surveillance & deliveries.

Disaster Management

In the immediate hours and days following a disaster, the demand for communication networks increases. During that time, it is critical that rescue workers and government officials synergize their efforts to provide relief and support to those affected. Rescue operations cannot be stopped or delayed even though the responding agencies are unable to communicate with one another. In these time-sensitive and mission-critical situations, even a few minutes lost can mean the difference between life and death for victims in need of rescue.

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In India, primary PPDR (Public Protection and Disaster Relief) communication systems are designed and run by many independent state agencies. Currently, PPDR communication infrastructure in India is either old Analog Systems or uses narrowband radios. These radios employ narrowband channels and are operated on spot frequencies that are assigned to different public safety entities on a case-by-case basis. The narrowband nature of these radios limits them to only 2-way voice communications with no inherent support for high-bandwidth transmission requirements such as interactive video communication, remote video surveillance of security or disaster sites, etc. Such systems suffer from problems like interoperability failures, inefficient use of spectrum, and higher costs. Such systems do not provide the level of secure communication required by India’s security forces resulting in the easy leak of information to unwanted entities. (Source: TRAI)

Meeting the increased bandwidth, high availability, high reliability, and low latency requirements of next-generation PPDR systems requires an upgrade of existing systems to new communication technologies with a broader device ecosystem based on 4.9G/5G.

Value illustration: Every year large areas of forests are affected by fires of varying intensity and extent. Based on the forest inventory records, 54.40% of forests in India are exposed to occasional fires, 7.49% to moderately frequent fires, and 2.40% to high incidence levels while 35.71% of India’s forests have not yet been exposed to fires of any real significance. Precious forest resources including carbon locked in the biomass are lost due to forest fires every year, which adversely impact the flow of goods and services from forests. While collecting data based on sensors is important for forest fire tracking purposes, quick transmission and analysis of the data, for instance with edge computing, will be crucial to enabling rapid response, helping first responders to combat fires and evacuate those in the path of danger. Advances in connectivity, like the expansion of 5G coverage, will continue to power solutions that make it easier for public safety officials to save lives and limit the impacts of disasters.

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Mines and Construction Sites

The Metals and Mining sector in India is expected to witness a major reform in the next few years, owing to reforms such as the Make in India Campaign, Smart Cities, Rural Electrification, and a focus on building renewable energy projects under the National Electricity Policy as well as the rise in infrastructure development. At the same time, the construction industry in India will remain buoyant due to increased demand for real estate and infrastructure projects. Construction (Infrastructure) Activities emerged as the top sector during F.Y. 2020-21 with around 13% share of the total FDI equity inflow. Private wireless networks can play an important role in connecting sites in remote areas with no/poor existing telecommunications networks. The Private network could be used to enable a host of activities such as automated/robotic or remote managed applications that are sensitive and mission-critical.

Value illustration: According to Deloitte, 5G networks have the potential to provide opportunities to the mining industry such as automation and remote operations due to improved coverage, lower latency, and higher reliability at every stage of its business operations.

5G will provide retailers with uninterrupted business, a reliable network that handles peak time traffic, extreme personalization, AR/VR shopping experiences, fast access and real-time, streamlined operations, access to central systems and ease of tracking of product, price, inventory and customer information.

As per their studies, the use of 5G in mining operations can lead up to 25% increased ore production, 40% higher drill rig operations, and 20% energy savings.

In-building solutions

A private 5G network allows a large enterprise and public sector customers to bring a custom-tailored 5G experience even to indoor facilities where high-speed, high-capacity, low-latency connectivity is crucial, regardless of whether the premises are within a public 5G coverage area. As an example, Wipro states that 5G will provide retailers with uninterrupted business, a reliable network that handles peak-time traffic, extreme personalization, AR/VR shopping experiences, fast access and real-time, streamlined operations, access to central systems, and ease of tracking of product, price, inventory and customer information.

The Indian retail market is estimated to reach $2 trillion by 2032, driven by socio-demographic and economic factors such as urbanisation, income growth, and a rise in nuclear families. Private networks can play an important role in ensuring profitability and increased customer retention rates in the face of increased competition.

Value illustration: Telefonica has been working on the development of a private 5G network at the logistics center of El Corte Inglés in Valdemoro (Madrid) with the aim of optimising parcel and sorting processes. The department store has achieved a significant improvement in handling and sorting times of around 20%. This automation always designs the fastest routes in environments as complex as these logistics facilities, with dozens of high racks and full of diverse parcels.

Rural & Greenfield Deployments

Greenfield deployments in rural areas using private networks can provide cost-effectiveness and quick deployment time. This can enable manage and running of such networks on a commercial basis like GPAX operators. In turn, such solutions create employment and entrepreneurship opportunities for deploying and maintaining such networks. Such private networks can also be used for temporary deployments such as in a Games Village or holiday camp over a few kilometers and can be even powered by solar energy.

Value illustration: Many of the important trek routes like Kedarnath have good connectivity at the base camps but can suffer from limited coverage along the way. Private networks can help to provide enhanced coverage on the route and ensure better communication facilities.

What are the latest developments in India that can bolster the deployment of Private Wireless Networks?

An end-to-end 5G Testbed encompassing all the major subsystems of a 5G Network has been developed by eight leading academics (IIT Madras, IIT Kanpur, IIT Bombay, IIT Delhi, IIT Hyderabad, and Indian Institute of Science, Banglore) and R&D (SAMEER and CEWiT) institutes of India. The project is a unique collaborative effort of a pan-Indian multi-institutional team that has enhanced national capability in telecom technology. The 224-crore project was funded by the Department of Telecom, Government of India for a period of three and a half years. Several industry players and startups in India are project partners in this initiative.

India is also developing its own 5G stack, which is expected to be available by September-October this year, according to the Minister. Recently there has been a huge demo of local 5G networks. There has been active participation of all armed forces, ministry of defense, railways, smart cities, homes, civil aviation, mines, and power. The live demo of the 4G/ 5G Enterprise network with IoT application included one on an anti-collision system in railways that are doing modernisation of their network at 59000 crores.

What are some of the key challenges of extending the network beyond Smartphone users?

Cyber security

The deployment of 5G networks implies millions of devices coming online. These connected devices could be sensors, machines, or humans. Operators must be ready to tackle the potential rise of cybersecurity attacks via this diverse device ecosystem for 5G networks.

Network slicing and differentiated services

At the recent 5G India Leadership Summit 2022, COAI director general SP Kochhar said that the uniqueness of 5G networks tailoring to specific use cases will be in direct contradiction to net neutrality laws in India if network slicing and differentiated experiences are offered on the network.

Lack of access to dedicated spectrum for industries

The VoICE team has asked for support in identifying spectrum bands for allocation to enterprises directly. This will support private networks, which would expedite the $ 5 Trillion economy ambitions. A request on this was made by the Indigenous Suppliers Group to the Minister directly and to the senior officials of the Ministry. The request is to identify specific bands (in sub GHz, Mid-band, and Millimeter bands) or coexistence bands (along with other Radio services). National specifications need to be prepared for such networks that will create an enabling ecosystem.

By S. Krishna

Krishna is a Tech-Enthusiast and Industry Analyst. (Engineering from India & UK, Over 19 years of telecom industry experience, ex-Reliance, and a writer of many Technology Capsules for industry).

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