AWS Private 5G Service Simplifies Setup and Maintenance for Private Mobile Networks

December 02, 2021

News

Customers would like to build their own private 5G networks to take advantage of the reliability, better coverage, lower latency, and higher bandwidth they provide and to be able to scale their networks as they add more devices. But today, most private mobile network deployments require customers to invest considerable time, money, and effort to design their network for anticipated peak capacity and to procure and integrate software and hardware components from multiple vendors.

At AWS re:Invent, Amazon Web Services, Inc. announced AWS Private 5G, a new managed service that helps enterprises set up and scale private 5G mobile networks in their facilities in days instead of months. With just a few clicks in the AWS console, customers specify where they want to build a mobile network and the network capacity needed for their devices—and AWS delivers and maintains the small cell radio units, servers, 5G core and radio access network (RAN) software, and subscriber identity modules (SIM cards) required to set up a private 5G network and connect devices.

Once the equipment is installed and powered on, AWS Private 5G automatically configures and deploys the mobile network. To connect devices to the private network, customers simply plug the AWS-supplied SIM cards into their devices. AWS Private 5G integrates with AWS Identity and Access Management (IAM), enabling network administrators to directly control which resources mobile devices can access on their private mobile networks.

With AWS Private 5G, customers can start with small networks with fewer devices, analyze network needs once in operation, and leverage the elasticity and pay-as-you-go pricing to scale their private mobile network as they add more devices. There are no upfront fees or per-device costs, and customers only pay for the network capacity and throughput they request.

Cellular technologies like 5G also allow customers to connect more devices and more cost-effectively collect and transfer data with greater flexibility and reliability than current wired and wireless networking technologies.

More and more enterprises need to collect, analyze, and transfer massive amounts of data within their operations from the large number of connected sensors and edge devices prevalent in today’s enterprises. Customers want to leverage cellular technologies like 5G for their on-premises connectivity needs because it offers long range, extended outdoor coverage, device mobility, and reliable network behavior.

Previously, customers who wanted to install their own private mobile network had to undertake lengthy procurement processes to acquire the necessary materials and increase network capacity if the number of connected devices or network traffic grows beyond the capacity the network can handle.

Customers also had to manage different security policies and systems for each type of device connected to a private mobile network, which makes integration with IT management systems difficult. Even if customers are able to get the network running, current private mobile network pricing models charge for each connected device and make it cost prohibitive for use cases that involve thousands of connected devices. As a result of these barriers, most enterprises are unable to deploy and operate private mobile networks.

Matt Hoag, CTO at Koch Business Solutions, said, “In collaboration with industry software vendors like Mavenir and global communication service providers, AWS Private 5G can help solve real challenges that enterprises face in deploying private cellular networks around the world. We believe that this combination will also encourage expansion of the cellular Industrial IoT ecosystem and accelerate the delivery of disruptive private connectivity solutions for our customers.”

Jeff Armstrong, Director of Infrastructure Engineering at Amazon, said, “Previously, to get proper Wi-Fi coverage in the parking lots around our FCs (Amazon Fulfillment Centers), we had to add light poles for the Wi-Fi equipment, modify our outdoor electrical systems and either trench fiber or support Mesh systems. This was expensive, disrupted productivity during installation, and had a high support burden. With AWS Private 5G, we can use two outdoor small cells mounted on the corners of our warehouses and achieve additional coverage in our parking lots, which was much quicker and cheaper to deploy. Just as important, we will be able to scale up our AWS Private 5G deployment as we expand our facilities.”

To learn more about AWS Private 5G, visit aws.amazon.com/private5g/.