We all look forward to the day we can play immersive, virtual-reality games on our 5G phones with ease and speed. But 5G’s advances in bandwidth and latency will go far beyond the consumer experience. It’s also a potential game-changer for enterprises, manufacturers, universities, hospitals, the public sector and beyond.
For many of these organisations, a private 5G network will be the way to go, often in tandem with Wi-Fi 6. All will want to step up to the next level of digitalisation and transformation, for example, by realising the full potential of Internet of Things technologies. And by enabling them to build and easily reconfigure infrastructures to meet their needs and their customers’ demands, while enabling heightened security, private networks will be critical investments.
This next leap in mobility is driven by the latest advances in networking. The network as a system is better, faster and smarter, capable of processing, responding and reacting in milliseconds. And this evolution of the underlying network backbone will be a key reason why the impact of 5G will be even bigger than the transition from 2G to 3G, or 3G to 4G.
Five reasons to consider a private 5G network
1. 5G is ready.
5G’s ready for IoT, AI, VR, predictive maintenance and whatever else you throw at it. All those emerging technologies have shown tremendous promise for years. But 5G’s speed and low latency will help unleash their full potential.
Smart factories are but one example. By enabling everything from ubiquitous IoT sensors to super-smart, mobile robots, next-gen wireless could overturn manufacturing models that date back to Henry Ford. Instead of parts moving on a conveyor, for example, free-roaming robots – untethered by fibre cables – could roam freely across a plant floor, moving to wherever they are needed. All while swarms of IoT endpoints generate deluges of data, enabling new levels of inventory tracking, safety, sustainability and productivity. Similar transformations will extend to healthcare, retail, smart cities and so on.
2. Agile, controllable and secure.
Public 5G networks will be extremely capable. But a private 5G network offers organisations the control and reliability they will need for certain mission-critical activities, along with seamless integration across their existing systems. Network congestion can be an issue on public networks, for example. A private 5G network is virtually unlimited and it’s more easily reconfigured.
Along with its continuous innovation, Cisco understands the unique needs of its customers and has a strong history of building secure networks for enterprises and industries. Moreover, it can ensure that organisations take advantage of the synergy between private 5G networks, Wi-Fi networks, LoRaWAN networks, Bluetooth low-energy networks and so on – by tying it all together and creating a seamless, secure experience for IT and end users alike.
Private 5G also reduces cyberthreats by limiting exposure to public interfaces. So, wherever state secrets, intellectual property, or personal data are a critical issue, private 5G will shine.
3. Economy of scale.
Breakthrough innovations create economies of scale. The 5G era will drive a deluge of data traffic. So, the network backbone will need to be agile, scalable and able to work in tandem with mobile access. Cisco is driving a revolution in networking with products which offer 35% more bandwidth with 26-times less energy consumption in a smaller, lighter and less-expensive package.
4. Redefine industries.
From robotic surgery and autonomous cars to drone delivery and smart factories, the future is exciting. But as the Internet continues to grow 30% year over year, organisations will need to think ahead. Coupled with a modernised network backbone, next-gen wireless – like 5G and Wi-Fi 6 – will meet all-new demands from consumers, citizens, workers, hospital patients and so on. And with potential speeds of 20 gigabits per second (up from 4G’s 1 Gbps) and latency of 1 millisecond or less (down from 4G’s average 45 ms), 5G will help to unleash the next level of transformation.
5. On the cusp of a revolution.
Whenever speed and bandwidth surge, innovation skyrockets. Before 2G it was hard to imagine carrying an email device in your pocket. And before 4G, a virtual movie theatre in your pocket was but a dream. Not to mention, the 20 million 4G-related jobs created in the 2020s. So, consider the profound rush of ideas and solutions that 5G could unleash, many of which we haven’t yet imagined. The good news is that it’s getting easier to prepare your organisations for these changes.
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