Intel is pushing the private 5G angle ahead of MWC in Barcelona at the end of the month – plus the AI one, the edge one, the transformation one, and the ecosystem one. It has issued a press announcement to trumpet its involvement in a series of private 5G installations around the globe with the likes of AWS, Cisco, Ericsson, Nokia, NTT, Red Hat, and others. These represent an “example of industry excellence”, it said.
Beyond its involvement in these projects and partnerships, the news value is unclear. Intel said the deployments “culminate [from] years of investment, development, collaboration, and lab trials”; it suggested the rate of demand for private 5G is “exceptional”, and the growth of artificial intelligence (AI) and edge computing – as the key overhead tech application and the parallel tech infrastructure, respectively – is “rapid”.
Private 5G is “becoming mainstream”, it said. It proclaimed its own “end-to-end hardware and software portfolio”, covering a bunch of generic componentry and branded radio products (“processors, Ethernet, FlexRAN, OpenVINO, and 5G core software offerings”). The firm quoted Gartner that over 50 percent of enterprise data will reside off-cloud by 2025, and talked up the “intersection of 5G, AI, and edge computing” to drive digital change for enterprises.
Caroline Chan, vice president of Intel’s ‘network business incubator division’, said: “[With] the… breadth of the Intel product portfolio [and] the integration capabilities… of our… ecosystem, enterprises… can reap the benefits of a personalised private network for their business requirements. We are seeing the rapid growth of AI and edge computing, combined with 5G, drive intelligence, cost savings and innovation in developing and mature industries.”
But what else? Not much, except some detail about its headline tie-ups, as listed below. Some are familiar, some less-so; and various of them will be on the stands at MWC in Barcelona. But they are worth memorialising here, probably, as an overview of some of the runners and riders in the supplier market, and as a reference list of a grab-bag of high-profile enterprise deployments.
AWS
AWS’s continued collaboration with Intel, which started with joint experience centers in Europe and the Americas, is helping customers accelerate private network deployments across many vertical markets. The latest example includes the addition of Amdocs as a system integrator for the Integrated Private Wireless (IPW) on AWS program. Through the program, AWS customers can access end-to-end Amdocs Mobile Private Network (MPN) services, and the infrastructure, built on AWS Outposts servers, is powered by Intel Xeon processors. This solution provides end-to-end accountability across all building blocks of a mobile private network, including the RAN, core, security and applications, and services for deployment and operations.
Aramco Digital
Aramco Digital and Intel recently announced [its] intent to establish Saudi Arabia’s inaugural Open RAN (radio access network) Development Center. Aramco Digital, part of the world’s largest energy company Aramco, in collaboration with Intel, is developing private 5G for the industrial sector, powered by Intel-based open RAN technology. This facility is poised to drive innovation, foster technological advancements and contribute significantly to the digital transformation landscape in Saudi Arabia.
Cisco / NTT DATA
Cisco and NTT DATA collaborated to transform RAI Amsterdam into the first smart venue in Europe. Using Intel technology, Cisco provides the private 5G core and network hardware while NTT DATA delivers the private network as a service for the venue. The solution running on Intel architecture provides high-speed, low-latency connectivity for the large number of smartphones and IoT devices, as well as for processing large amounts of data for real-time insights.
Ericsson
In collaboration with Expeto, Intel and other members of the 5G Open Innovation Lab, Ericsson deployed a new private 5G network at Tacoma Tideflats surrounding the Port of Tacoma on Puget Sound in Washington State. The tightly coordinated collaboration initially supports five local enterprises and focuses on modernizing their operations, including assistance for port infrastructure, freight movement, supply chains and manufacturing operations, allowing each enterprise to utilize the benefits of 5G and help drive better business outcomes for its end users.
Future Technologies
By embracing the ecosystem, Future Technologies utilized Intel and Nokia private 5G solutions, announcing several multimillion-dollar private 4G/5G cellular-based contracts for various Fortune 100, Fortune 500 and Fortune 1000 manufacturer clients. Utilizing Intel edge and AI solutions, the contracts support industries including connected/remote worker, autonomous robotics, asset management and industrial automation.
Nokia
Nokia’s Digital Automation Cloud (DAC) private wireless [solution] using Mission Critical Industrial Edge (MXIE), based on Intel technologies, enables private 4G and 5G networks for connectivity of industrial systems and workers as well as the OT real-time data processing across multiple industrial sites. This solution has several hundreds of deployments globally. A recent example is at Stürmsfs AG, one of Switzerland’s leading steel and metal service centers. This deployment is in partnership with system integrator Datwyler IT Infra and uses software and support from the Swiss federal Industry Fusion Foundation (IFF), featuring Intel components with ruggedized designs suited to the tough conditions of the factory floor.
Pegatron 5G
Pegatron 5G demonstrated the power of its private 5G solution in a deployment at one of its smart factories in Vietnam. The company worked with Viettel, Vietnam’s largest telecom company, to build Pegatron 5G’s first overseas all-5G smart factory in Hai Phong, Vietnam. Based on Intel’s broad private 5G product portfolio, the factory’s network provided broad-based connectivity for flexibility and mobility, high throughput and low latency. It provides connectivity for a large number of devices and implements zero-trust security.
Red Hat / Minsait
Red Hat has joined with Intel and Minsait, an Indra company, to integrate and validate a complete, containerized and cloud-native private 5G solution comprising Intel FlexRAN software and Red Hat OpenShift. This solution will provide a private 5G foundation that can be trusted for performance and can be expanded or customized using third-party innovations.
WWT / Federated Wireless
WWT and Federated Wireless are nearing the completion of a neutral-host network lab in the World Wide Technology ATC (Advanced Technology Center) in St. Louis, Missouri. Intel, WWT and Federated Wireless are deploying the Neutral Host networks (running on top of private cellular networks) that allows multiple participating service providers to share its services with those existing private cellular networks. The network allows for seamless connectivity between private and public service providers. With the participation of two major North American operators, Neutral Host Networks can be used in a variety of vertical industries with use cases in higher education, healthcare, manufacturing already identified, and use cases in other verticals under consideration.
