During the global 5G network commercialization, 5G private network has been widely recognized as the most effective mobile network service. According to the Private Mobile Networks Member Report provided by GSA, about 889 organizations all over the world have deployed private LTE/5G networks in 70 countries and territories, and 140 private networks have been deployed in the first half of 2022. Manufacturing is the industry that deploys the most private networks, followed by education, power utilities, and mining.

5G technology continues to evolve from "usable" to "efficient". On the one hand, NPN, 5G and positioning, big data, edge computing, cloud computing, artificial intelligence, and other new technologies keep convergence and innovations. On the other hand, automation technologies, virtual private networks, independent private networks, uplink enhancement, 5G LAN, TSN and other 5G technologies that meet specific industry requirements are also gradually mature. These technologies build a solid foundation for 5G industry applications.

Since different vertical industries and users have different kinds of network requirements, including coverage, latency, bandwidth, security and reliability, private network services have huge market potentials. However, how can telecom operators break into this market? How to provide flexible and diversified services to meet the needs of industrial sites? How to reduce the construction costs of 5G private networks? How to develop in parallel with 5G ToC network? From this, Mr. Wang Quan, Vice President of ZTE, claimed at the 2022 5G Summit & User Congress, facing the booming 5G application requirements and great challenges, ZTE has launched a full series of iCube private network products and three highly bespoke private network scenarios. The "1+3" solution enables operators to provide private 5G as a service and release powerful 5G driving force.

All-in One iCube Private Network Products

ZTE launches All-in-One iCube 2.0 private network products to meet the diversified scenario requirements, enabling operators to provide private 5G network as a service, and building a new 5G digital infrastructure with ultra-low costs, physical isolation, security and reliability, and continuous evolution for industries. Oriented to group-level applications, the full-capability 5GC can be deployed to provide complete network functions and cloudified features. The headquarters of group can manage branches in a unified manner. This solution has been implemented and launched in multiple large steel groups. For industrial campus applications, the standard i5GC can be deployed, and the 20Gbps forwarding capability can be provided by only two rack servers. Furthermore, at this summit, ZTE launched the new Mini5GC for field-level industrial applications. Featuring ultra-small, ultra-light, ultra-simple networking, and ultra-high integration, which can flexibly meet the requirements for dedicated scenarios such as safe explosion protection, flexible workstation adjustment, and vehicle-mounted emergency rescue in mining areas.

Three Highly Bespoke Private Network Scenarios

Oriented to smart mining, ZTE launched a dual-engine private network, which extends the network from ground to underground. Relying on Mini5GC product, with a height of 1U and a size of A3, the equipment can be placed in an explosion-proof box. ZTE has obtained the explosion-proof certification for mining purposes, so that 5G networks can be deployed in mines. Even if the communication link between the mining and the ground is broken, the mining services are not affected. The mine private 5G network provides high bandwidth and low latency for underground services while ensuring ultra-high reliability. In addition to data services, mining applications also require voice calls and voice dispatching capabilities. The iIMS network capability is added to the original 5GC network, providing a dual-engine private network with "data and voice" services, and helping industry customers implement HD voice and video calls in the mining area. In addition, they can also interconnect with the third-party voice dispatching manufacturers. The dual-engine private 5G network is integrated into the mining system to accelerate the intelligent transformation of mines.

Oriented to the power grid, ZTE launches a wide area private network, from a local area to a wide area. With the UPF+ high-availability solution, when the local UPF is disconnected with the control plane of the public network, the emergency access capability of local services is provided through the built-in "emergency control plane". Network slicing is used to build multi-campus distributed and fully interconnected wide area networks for the power field. Recently, ZTE, together with China Mobile and NARI, won the "Most Innovative Private Network Project" award at Network X 2022 held in Amsterdam, Netherlands for its 5G green grid solution.

Oriented to manufacturing, ZTE launched the ICE (Industrial Communication Engine) private network, integrating CT and OT technologies, gradually developing from production assistance to industrial site networks. For example, multiple applications such as unmanned crane, intelligent quality inspection and coordination of multiple AGVs have been widely implemented. The ICE private network integrates key technologies such as 5G LAN, TSN, and FRER to achieve high-precision clock synchronization, ultra-low delay and jitter, reliable network transmission, and end-to-end closed-loop coordination. Due to the advantages of no wiring, flexible deployment and mobility, ICE private networks are widely used in smart factories, smart steel and smart ports.

All the industries are accelerating the implementation of 5G application scenarios, and 5G empowerment effect is gradually unleashed. With the large-scale applications of 5G ToB, in addition to above-mentioned three typical scenarios, there are many other scenarios such as transportation and logistics, healthcare, education, and public administration. The private networks market is an important bellwether of the success of 5G in industry. To accelerate the construction of new infrastructure and achieve continuous development of 5G ToB, ZTE will work with more industry partners in the next 1~3 years to combine product innovations with business model innovations and launch more scenario-based private network products and solutions, so as to empower the high-quality development of the industry and accelerate the prosperity of the 5G industry.

This content is sponsored by ZTE.