Verizon Business has commercialized its private 5G service. The service, known as On Site 5G, targets enterprise and public sector customers – including campuses, industrial and manufacturing facilities and warehouses.
Private 5G services use cellular network equipment deployed at an enterprise or public sector customer’s site for use by the customer. Importantly, Verizon On Site 5G, which uses the company’s Ultra Wideband technology, is available even in areas where the carrier has not yet deployed Ultra Wideband service commercially.
Ultra Wideband is the name that Verizon uses for 5G service deployed in mid-band and millimeter wave spectrum, which offers higher speeds in comparison with the company’s Nationwide 5G offering that uses lower frequency spectrum.
On Site 5G is a non-standalone offering that uses the carrier’s LTE packet core network, along with 5G Ultra Wideband small cells and On site LTE radios. Either LTE or 5G can be used as operational requirements demand. The service maintains connections to the organization’s LAN, SD-WAN and enterprise applications.
A goal of the service is to enable LTE customers to easily upgrade to 5G.
“Controlled authorized user access and device management and the inherent privacy of on-premises networking help keep the network secure,” according to Verizon.
Verizon Business designs and manages the On Site 5G networks, which it says are scalable and customizable. The carrier says that the network will be able to take advantage of emerging technologies including artificial intelligence/machine learning, augmented reality/virtual reality, real time analytics and more.
“On Site 5G opens the commercial floodgates for the promises of 5G Ultra Wideband, allowing large enterprises and public sector organizations to custom tailor a 5G experience for any premises that demands it,” Verizon Business Chief Revenue Officer Sampath Sowmyanarayan said in a press release.
Verizon conducted what it describes as exploratory private 5G work with Corning, Marine Corps Air Station Miramar, Mcity at the University of Michigan and others.
