Implement private wireless

Deploying the Nokia private wireless solution isn’t much different than a Wi-Fi network, but there are a few extras to consider.

The basic requirements for a private wireless network are:

• A radio network (RAN)
• A core network
• A backhaul network
• Access to licensed, shared or unlicensed radio spectrum.

Radio access points provide coverage of your outdoor and indoor spaces, similar to Wi-Fi, but you will need far fewer. Unlike Wi-Fi, there is a core network, which is the key to enabling mobility, ensuring security and maintaining quality-of-service parameters. Depending on the size of your site, it can even run on a small desktop-sized edge server deployed in a server room.

The backhaul network is no different than what you would use to connect Wi-Fi access points, whether cabled Ethernet, passive optical LAN and/or microwave depending on the application and the distances served.

For most mission- and business-critical industrial applications, the Nokia private wireless network solution is the most cost-efficient compared to other wireless solutions because:

• It provides the greatest capacity
• The widest coverage
• A connectivity layer able to operate in challenging radio conditions typical of industrial environments.

Further benefits of a private wireless network

Private wireless requires far fewer access points than other wireless solutions to cover the same area, which means less supporting infrastructure as well (power, cabling, poles, etc.). Engineering and planning the radio coverage is also much less expensive because of the characteristics of the radio spectrum used. Finally, you can consolidate all your current networks on a single 4.9G/LTE or 5G network, for significant operational cost savings.

We suggest using our TCO calculator to see what would be the best wireless solution for your industrial site.

There are many ways to get our private wireless solution, whether directly from Nokia or from our large range of partners. For example, your existing mobile service provider may have a private wireless offering from Nokia, and there are other partners such as the many system integrators we work with.

Types of industrial-grade private wireless solutions

Nokia has recognized that enterprise needs vary, thus we have two private versions of our industrial-grade private wireless solution.

1. The Nokia Digital Automation Cloud (DAC) provides an integrated plug-and-play private wireless service solution and a digital automation platform with ready-to-run applications.
2. Our Modular Private Wireless (MPW) solution offers all the elements needed to create a bespoke private wireless solution that is either completely autonomous or in a variety of hybrid configurations with third-party providers such as mobile operators.

Private wireless spectrum for industrial use is now available in many countries, and this is expected to grow. Many governments around the world are releasing spectrum specially designated for private networks. In Britain, Germany and Japan, private spectrum is only available for 5G, elsewhere it is also available for 4.9G/LTE. In the US, the CBRS initiative by the FCC, is based on spectrum that is shared with other organizations. The unique sharing schema is likely to be copied by other countries.

For those countries that don’t have dedicated private spectrum for industry, there are many other solutions. Nokia has a range of CSP partners willing to lease spectrum (and you can ask your favorite CSP if they offer Nokia private wireless solutions). Finally, you can even deploy a private solution in the 5.x GHz unlicensed spectrum range with MultefireTM , which provides a standardized LTE-based unlicensed technology and is available from Nokia.

Private wireless based on trusted 4.9G/LTE can support almost all industrial use cases today and benefits from a large ecosystem of industrial devices, sensors and compatible systems.

For a few countries, licensed private spectrum is only available for 5G, otherwise 4.9G/LTE is the preferred choice at this time. It has a very developed industrial device ecosystem, with over 6,800 LTE-enabled non-phone-form-factor devices, and many industrial systems come with built-in 4.9G/LTE modems.

Private wireless networks based on 4.9G/LTE will support 85 percent of industrial use cases. It gives you a competitive advantage, as you can start your Industry 4.0 transformation today. You will be able to easily add 5G when the 5G industrial ecosystem has matured.