Nokia, Ericsson and Huawei aren't the only options in the private 5G gear game
SNS Telecom & IT told us that Celona has over 100 customers
STL Partners said Bristol-Myers Squibb Biologics Manufacturing Facility in Dublin has used Vilicom for a 4G LTE network recently
Huawei, Nokia and Ericsson may be the three largest vendors of private 5G networking gear, according to Dell’Oro Group, but there are plenty of smaller vendors and startups vying for space in the market.
We tracked down a few examples and talked to analysts about their progress.
Celona
Fierce has already extensively reported on startup Celona, which has moved from CBRS-based 4G LTE networks onto mid-band and CBRS private 5G networks.
“Celona’s private wireless solution has been deployed by over 100 customers. We recently co-published a private 4G/5G market update report with them,” Asad Khan, 5G research director at SNS Telecom & IT told Fierce Network.
Khan also noted that Celona could be one of the private network startups that John Deere is considering for its private 5G networking. The manufacturer has used Nokia equipment for its private 5G network deployments so far. Jason Wallin, principal architect, infrastructure and operations at John Deere told Fierce during a tour there of the company's Iowa and Illinois facilities that it also looked at 5G network startups, although he wouldn’t name any of them.
"Celona could very well be one of the vendors John Deere is working with, particularly given the startup’s recent experience with industrial customers such as BMW Group, BP, Del Conca, LyondellBasell, Schneider Electric, Standard Steel, Albemarle, and Dot Foods," Khan said.
Vilicom
STL Partners noted that Vilicom, an Irish company owned by Bai Communications, works with small enterprises all the way to up to sports stadiums.
“Vilicom recently constructed a 4G LTE network for the Bristol-Myers Squibb Biologics Manufacturing Facility in Dublin, Ireland, navigating large concrete and steel structures which required the deployment of a multi-operator Distributed Antenna System (DAS),” STL said.
Highway 9
If you’re a regular reader you’ll remember that we’ve already examined startup Highway 9. The young company’s premier customer is MIT. Highway 9 has pulled in $25 million in venture funding so far, with a Series A led by Mayfield.
So, there’s a few private wireless vendors — both young and old — for you and your CTO to consider before embarking on your next big project.