5G Private Networks for Smart Campuses

Under the wave of digital transformation, parks, as the core carriers for enterprises' production, office work and innovation, have put forward strict requirements for the low latency, high security and wide connection capabilities of communication networks. Traditional campus networks have pain points such as single access methods, low data flow efficiency, and weak security protection, making it difficult to meet the demands of diverse scenarios such as intelligent manufacturing, smart office, and intelligent security. 5G private networks, with their localized, manageable and controllable dedicated communication capabilities, have become the core technical solution for solving the networking problems in parks and building smart parks.

The core characteristics and networking value of 5G private networks

5G private networks are 5G technology "local area networks" built for specific regions. Different from the public service attributes of public networks, their core advantages are concentrated in three dimensions. First, it features low latency and high reliability, capable of meeting the millisecond-level latency requirements of industrial-grade production control, remote equipment operation and other scenarios. Second, it is safe and controllable. Data can be circulated locally, effectively avoiding the risk of data leakage during public network transmission. Third, it is flexible and adaptable. Network slices can be customized according to the business needs of the park, and dedicated communication resources can be allocated for different businesses to achieve network isolation and priority control for production, office, security and other businesses.

In China, 5G private networks mainly focus on industry (2B) applications, with operators being the main construction entities. Through diverse networking solutions, they promote the implementation of 5G private networks in scenarios such as industrial parks, scientific research parks, and logistics parks, laying a solid communication foundation for the digital upgrade of parks.

List of core equipment for 5G private network campus networking

A complete 5G private network campus networking solution needs to rely on the coordinated operation of multiple types of core equipment, covering the entire chain links such as signal access, data processing, terminal interconnection, and security management.

Wireless access equipment（RAN）
Wireless access equipment is the foundation of 5G signal coverage in the park, mainly including 5G macro base stations and small base stations (GNBS), which undertake the task of comprehensive coverage of indoor and outdoor signals. In response to the complex physical environment of the park, the wireless access equipment of the 5G private network emphasizes a "flexible architecture", which can adjust the deployment density and parameters of base stations according to the requirements of the scene. For instance, in the production workshops of industrial parks, precise signal coverage in areas with dense equipment can be achieved through small base stations, meeting the communication requirements of dedicated spectrum. In the open logistics and warehousing area, the macro base station can achieve wide-area signal coverage, ensuring uninterrupted communication for AGV robots, intelligent forklifts and other equipment.
5G core network（5GC）
The 5G core network is the "brain center" of the private network, covering numerous key network elements such as AMF, SMF, UPF, and AUSF. It adopts an advanced service-oriented architecture (SBA) to separate the control plane from the user plane, among which UPF is responsible for the data plane processing of the core. High-quality 5GC equipment can support the simultaneous access of millions of users, with end-to-end latency reaching sub-millisecond levels. It not only meets the connection requirements of a vast number of terminals within the park but also provides guarantees for low-latency services such as high-precision production control and remote equipment operation and maintenance.
Terminals and industrial access devices
This type of equipment serves as the "bridge" for various terminals in the park to access the dedicated network, covering industrial modules, CPEs, industrial gateways/routers, industry-specific handheld terminals, AGV/robot-specific terminals, etc. In the hazardous work areas of special industrial parks such as chemical and oil and gas industries, explosion-proof terminals will also be equipped to ensure communication security in extreme environments. For instance, industrial gateways can connect traditional PLCS, sensors and other devices to 5G private networks, enabling the digital upgrade of outdated equipment. AGV terminals can rely on the low latency feature of the private network to complete precise path planning and scheduling.
Edge computing/local deployment components
To achieve local data processing and lower latency, parks usually deploy local 5GC and edge computing devices as supporting facilities. In the intelligent manufacturing park, the real-time data generated by production equipment can be analyzed instantly through edge computing nodes, allowing for rapid adjustment of production parameters and avoiding the delay and loss caused by data transmission back to the cloud, significantly enhancing production efficiency and product quality. In scientific research parks, edge computing can ensure the local processing of experimental data, taking into account both data security and analysis efficiency.
Management and Strategy/Security components
This type of component serves as the "security shield" for the stable operation of private networks, including the Network Management and Orchestration system (NMS/OSS), policy control module, and private network security and slicing management system. Through the network management system, operation and maintenance personnel can achieve unified monitoring and scheduling of all network devices. The strategy control module can allocate network resources according to business requirements and ensure the communication priority of core businesses. The security management component can effectively prevent network attacks and data leaks, safeguarding the data security of the park.

Common deployment forms of 5G private network campus networking

The business attributes, data security requirements and cost budgets of different parks vary, and the corresponding 5G private network deployment forms also have their own focuses, mainly divided into three categories.

Independent private network (locally self-built or hosted)
This mode deploys complete RAN equipment and local 5GC within the park. All data flows in a closed loop within the park and is not connected to the external public network. Its greatest advantage is that the data sovereignty is completely owned by the enterprise, and the security level reaches the highest level. It is suitable for financial research parks, military industrial supporting parks and other places with strict requirements for data security. However, the construction and operation and maintenance costs of this model are relatively high, and it also has certain requirements for the technical operation and maintenance capabilities of enterprises.
Operators jointly build/host private networks
The construction and daily operation and maintenance of the network are led by the operator, and enterprises only need to deploy some private network terminal components. This is the most common deployment model in domestic parks. Enterprises can rely on the technical and resource advantages of operators to lower the technical threshold and cost input for private network construction, while focusing their efforts on core businesses. This mode takes into account both communication quality and the convenience of operation and maintenance, and is suitable for scenarios such as small and medium-sized industrial parks and logistics parks.
Public network slice/virtual private network
Based on the public network resources of the operator, a "virtual private network" is divided into the park through network slicing technology to achieve network isolation of different services. This model does not require enterprises to invest a large amount of hardware construction costs, and it can adapt to the needs of wide distribution of parks and differentiated business. For example, cross-regional logistics parks can rely on public network slicing to achieve unified communication and management of each warehousing node. However, the data security of this model is slightly lower than that of independent private networks, and it is more suitable for office parks and commercial parks where the requirements for data localization are not high.

Selection suggestions for 5G Private Network Campus Networking

When enterprises plan the networking of 5G private network parks, they need to precisely select models based on their own business requirements. For industrial manufacturing parks with local data sovereignty and low latency demands, local 5GC and edge computing devices should be prioritized for deployment to ensure the real-time processing and secure controllability of production data. In special industry parks such as oil and gas and chemical industries, explosion-proof and intrinsically safe terminal equipment should be selected to eliminate potential safety hazards. If an enterprise does not have a professional operation and maintenance team, it can give priority to the operator co-construction and hosting model to reduce operation and maintenance pressure.

With the deep integration of 5G technology with edge computing and artificial intelligence, 5G private networks will play a greater role in smart parks, providing stronger communication support for the intelligent upgrade of parks and promoting the evolution of various parks towards higher-level digital forms.