794 organisations deploying LTE, 5G Private Networks: GSA

The Global mobile Suppliers Association (GSA) has confirmed that it is tracking at least 794 organisations deploying LTE or 5G Private Mobile Networks. The association has identified more than 70 telecom network operators involved with Private Mobile Network projects.

The new Private-Mobile-Networks June 2022 report shares the GSA’s latest data regarding the Private Networks market and shows that organisations currently favour LTE over 5G, with the former accounting for 76% of deployments.

Private Mobile Networks (PMN) deployments are now truly global, with GSA registering 68 countries and territories where customers have deployed private networks based on LTE or 5G. In addition, there are PMN installations in various offshore locations serving the oil and gas industries, as well as on ships.

The new report reveals that a large number and a wide range of market participants are actively engaged in developing and delivering solutions for Private Mobile Networks. Among the 794 organisations known to be deploying LTE or 5G Private Mobile Networks, the manufacturing sector revealed itself to be a strong adopter with 140 identified companies involved in known pilots or deployments, up from 111 at the end of 2021. The manufacturing sector is closely followed by the education and mining sectors.

This report and tracking come from GSA’s PMN special interest group (‘SIG’) formed last year to define the space and track uptake globally, with input from its founding members Huawei, Nokia and Ericsson. The group tracks customer deployments from other vendors too and is now inviting companies to join this group with the aim of promoting the ecosystem and market adoption globally.

The new GSA report Private-Mobile-Networks June 2022 includes insights on countries/territories with identified private network deployments (pilot and commercial), by technology (LTE, LTE+5G, 5G), by spectrum bands and by sector.

The full report, available to all GSA Members and Associates subscribing to the GAMBoD service, includes a full listing of organisations deploying Private Mobile Networks based on LTE or 5G and is segmented by vertical, country, network type, technology and spectrum band.

“A large number and a wide range of organisations are heavily engaged in developing and delivering solutions for Private Mobile Networks,” said Joe Barrett, President of the Global mobile Suppliers Association. “Organisations of all types, whether they are in the manufacturing, education or automotive sector are investing and deploying networks that will drive automation and productivity. Through LTE and increasingly 5G, organisations are betting on Private Networks and what they can deliver.

“The Private Mobile Networks market is a substantial ecosystem where organisations are collaborating with vendors to make Private Networks a reality. Currently we are tracking over 50 equipment vendors that have been involved in the supply of equipment for Private Mobile Networks based on LTE or 5G,” Barrett continued.

“With this ecosystem now in place, with so many opportunities, and so many regulators planning initiatives to make spectrum available for LTE and 5G private usage, we expect significant market developments over the next couple of years.” Barrett concluded.

GSA defines a Private Mobile Network as a 3GPP-based 4G/LT-5G private mobile network intended for the sole use of private entities such as enterprises, industries or governments, that is not offered to the general public and uses spectrum defined in 3GPP. It also includes 3GPP-based MulteFire and Future Railway Mobile Communication System (FRMCS). However, excluded from this data are non-3GPP networks such as WiFi networks, Tetra, P25, WIMAX, Sigfox, and LORA, network slices from the public network or virtual network function (VNF) on a router, and where operators are deploying extra sites in proximity of enterprise locations as an extension of their existing public network in order to provide better coverage.