Private 5G Networks for Vertical Industries: Deployment and Operation Models

Fifth generation of mobile communication network (5G) technology enables, for the first time, realization of stand-alone, standard-based private wireless networks to support a broad range of demanding applications across a variety of vertical industries. This is achieved, among other features, due to the flexibility, modularity and programmability of the 5G system architecture. The flexibility enables a large number of deployment and operation models, which on the other hand could make it a challenge to find the model fitting best for a particular vertical industry. Therefore, this paper, looks into realization of private 5G networks in the vertical domains, with a focus on the smart factory, and provide a systematic classification of the potential deployment architecture and operation models. In addition to that, a comprehensive set of evaluation metrics are identified and a comparative analysis of the identified deployment and operation models are presented.