Experts see device readiness, spectrum access, enterprise skill sets and business case development as private 5G sticking points
The operator and vendor ecosystem selling end-to-end and point private 5G networking solutions see manufacturing as a sector ripe for disruption and new revenue creation. On the other hand, the needs of manufacturers are highly variable from site type, user type, use case and other perspectives. In a session at the recent 5G Manufacturing Forum—available on demand here—experts from the buy and sell sides of the private 5G equation talked through the current state of play with an eye on identifying (solvable) challenges that need to be addressed to spur the 5G-enabled digital transformation of manufacturing.
Let’s go through the challenges: devices, spectrum access, enterprise skill sets and developing a business case that demonstrates clear return on investment.
“The device layer just isn’t quite there yet”
Asimakis Kokkos, MFA technical specification group chair and Nokia’s head of Industry Engagement Strategic Initiatives, framed a gap between the telecom world’s understanding of what the manufacturing world needs as a factor slowing adoption of private 5G. “There is a gap between what exists today…[and] the plans that the vendors are having to make the features vs. what the industry needs today.” Ideally, “The vendors understand clearly what are the necessary features that need to be built so they make the solutions more and more faster and more optimal…We’re getting there.”
Over to the buy side, Crystal Taton, Raytheon Intelligence and Space Integrated Digital Intelligence and Automation Systems Engineering Chief Architect, agreed with the assessment on a lack of device readiness. “The device layer isn’t quite there yet,” she said. “I can’t easily go find off the shelf, ‘Hey, here’s my range of solutions; it’s proven, it’s tested, it’s secure.’”
Back to the sell side with AT&T’s Allen Roberts, senior solutions consultant at the 5G and Private Cellular Center of Excellence: when initially examining a potential deployment, AT&T uses a six-way match methodology that “starts, fundamentally, with devices and ensuring the device will work and communicate on whatever you’re building. Having device choice becomes very important.”
“Not all spectrum is created equal”
Spectrum access is another key consideration when examining how (and where) private 5G can create value for sellers and users. There are a few variants here: private networks can be partitioned portions of public networks running on licensed spectrum; they can be stood up in countries where regulators have carved out spectrum for enterprise use, Germany and the U.K., for example; private 5G can be operated in shared spectrum, case in point the U.S.’s CBRS set aside; and private 5G, as Kokkos of MFA will tell you, can also be deployed in unlicensed spectrum.
Spectrum access is another component of Roberts’s six-way match methodology. He said AT&T works with customers to understand the best match for specific site and user types. “Not all spectrum is created equal…Power output becomes important to think about, as does RF environment.” Going further, Roberts explained that in a situation where the goal is coverage over a larger outdoor area, “That’s a real challenge with unlicensed spectrum and interference, so having dedicated spectrum that’s coordinated and can work well has certainly been in demand.” Same thing for use cases where latency is important–”having…non-contention-based spectrum to be able to assign that and schedule it has definitely lent itself to be a variable you can [use to] segment the market.”
“There is quite a bit of an expertise gap”
Aaron Li, 5G market development engineer with Keysight Technologies, noted a factor that is influencing the way private 5G is packaged for sale to enterprises and considered by enterprises–an expertise gap. 5G networks, as a set of technologies, are materially more complex than things like wired Ethernet or enterprise Wi-Fi. Li said a certain degree of internal expertise has to be developed within private 5G buyer organizations in order to fully leverage the investment.
For AT&T which is selling different versions of private networks into a broad range of verticals, Roberts said there’s “an awareness and knowledge gap that we’ve got to fill…When we finally get the opportunity to educate folks on the inherent capabilities that even 4G can deliver–even before you get to 5G–there are so many use cases and so much business value can be derived.”
“It’s not just the next shiny thing”
Once issues related to devices, spectrum access, expertise and everything else have been addressed, there’s a more fundamental, make-or-break variable—does an investment in private 5G solve a specific business problem in a way that makes financial sense for buyer and seller?
Kokkos said Nokia works backwards through all the other considerations following a key first step. “We need to ask ourselves, why are you going to need the 5G network?”
Taton said 5G probably won’t be the right fit in all scenarios so, “Let’s use it where do have ROI and this is a strength…My fear would be trying to deploy outside that sweet spot…It’s not just the next shiny thing. We need a reason to go to it—keeping focus on that and growing that understanding I think helps the business case, helps the side of the challenge that is not technical.” Another key point she called out: “Sometimes solving the process side and business side is almost harder than the technology side.”
Roberts agreed that sometimes the functional side of a technical project can be trickier than the technical side of a technical project. “Functionally, if you’re going to impact a process, you have to think about is it truly going to improve that process or is it just adding time and complexity?”
