How much does a private LTE or 5G network cost?

01What does a typical project cost? Three example budgets

The three sites below are made up, but the prices are not. We rounded them from quotes that Waveform and RSRF prepared for US customers in 2025 and 2026. Waveform and RSRF are run by the team behind Private5G.com. The quotes were for 5G networks on CBRS, using Moso small cells (radios) with Ataya or Pente core software. Other brands cost more or less.

Each budget lists the network first, then the devices that connect to it, then what you pay every year. Device prices are typical prices, not quotes. Sales tax, shipping and your own staff time are not included.

What moves the price most. In the quotes behind these examples, six things made the biggest difference:

• Who installs it. For two outdoor radios with three years of software, a supplier-guided project where the customer mounts the radios cost about $67,000–$80,000. A turnkey project with professional installation cost about $110,000–$151,000.
• Where the core software runs. The same indoor radio kit cost about $10,000 with a cloud core, or $27,500 plus $15,000 a year with a core on site.
• How many radios, and where. An outdoor radio costs about 1.5 to 2 times as much as an indoor one.
• How many years you pay for up front. Paying for three years of software instead of one added about $12,500–$17,000.
• Devices. Scanners, cameras and routers often cost as much as the network itself.
• Site work. Quotes rarely include electrical work, trenching, poles, permits or new fiber. Ask who pays for them.

02What will you pay for?

Every private LTE or 5G network has the same building blocks. That holds whether you buy parts, a preconfigured kit or a turnkey project. You pay for radios, core software (the software that runs the network), SIM cards, spectrum access, installation and the devices that connect.

The table lists each part, what makes it cost more or less, and the public prices we confirmed on October 1, 2026. Where we found no public price, the table says so rather than guessing.

Suppliers bundle these parts in different ways. A radio with a built-in core means you don't buy a separate core. A per-radio subscription can fold the core, SIM cards, support and warranty into one line^[8]. When you compare quotes, list each part in the table. Mark it as included, priced separately or not needed.

03What do other companies publish?

The figures below are what other integrators and public bodies have published. None is audited, and the scopes differ. None of the integrators publishes the method behind its figures. They broadly agree with the example budgets above for small and mid-size sites.

04What is the cheapest way to start?

The lowest-cost path we can document is a small indoor pilot. It uses General Authorized Access (GAA), the license-free tier of CBRS (Citizens Broadband Radio Service). It also uses a bundle that already includes the core and SIM cards. These steps keep the first spend small and show what the full network needs:

1. Write down the workload

   List the devices, what they send, how many send at once and whether they move. The project planner turns that into upload and download traffic, with a safety margin.

2. Check the spectrum at your site

   Look up the address on the CBRS map. It shows how many paid, protected licenses (Priority Access Licenses, or PALs) the county has. It also gives context on protection zones around federal radar (Dynamic Protection Areas, or DPAs). Plan on GAA unless you have a reason to need a PAL.

3. Start indoors with a bundled radio

   Pick an indoor radio with a built-in or bundled core, so you don't buy a separate core. In Waveform's quotes, one indoor radio with a cloud core and its first year of software costs about $9,000–$10,000; Waveform is run by the team behind Private5G.com. Keep it within the lower Category A power limit; check the maximum power on its data sheet. That also avoids the rule that higher-power Category B radios be professionally installed^[4]. Ask your SAS provider whether your radio still needs a certified installer to register it. The Wireless Innovation Forum (WInnForum), which approves installer training, says most radios do^[20].

4. Test real devices

   Confirm that each device supports the CBRS band, called Band 48 in LTE and n48 in 5G, and works with your SIM cards. Do this before you buy in volume. Gateways can connect equipment that has no CBRS radio.

5. Decide who does the work

   Price the same pilot three ways: equipment only, a preconfigured network and a turnkey project. See complete network kits and how the three paths differ.

05How much do the radios cost?

Radio list prices vary about tenfold. Part of the reason is that some prices cover only the hardware, while others cover a service that lasts several years.

At the low end, UNISOL lists the Baicells Neutrino430 at $1,649 and invites quote requests for discounts^[1]. It is an indoor LTE radio for CBRS Band 48^[1]. Baicells says its basic software includes a built-in core called HaloB^[7]. ISP Supplies lists the Baicells Stellar227, an indoor 5G radio for band n48, at $2,999, marked down from $3,750^[5].

At the high end, Celona announced subscription list prices in February 2023. Celona calls its radios access points. A three-year subscription started at $17,000 per indoor radio and $57,500 per outdoor radio^[2]. The price included the radio, a SAS license where required and Celona's core software^[2]. It also covered SIM cards or eSIMs, cloud management, technical support and hardware warranty^[2]. Celona's current pricing page still prices per radio and lists what each subscription includes, but shows no dollar figures^[8]. See the Celona AP 20 record for product details.

The number of radios multiplies every per-radio cost, and only a site design can tell you that number. Coverage depends on walls, racking, ceiling height, terrain and where devices sit. Capacity depends on how much traffic your devices send at once. The CBRS rules also cap each radio's power by class^[4]. The section for engineers below gives the limits. We do not estimate radio counts or costs from floor area alone.

06What do the core software, SIM cards and devices cost?

Core software. You can run the core inside the radio, buy it as part of a subscription, run open-source software, or license a commercial core. Baicells includes a built-in core in the Neutrino430's basic software^[7]. Celona includes core software in its per-radio subscription^[8]. Open5GS provides both the 4G and 5G cores and is free under an open-source license (AGPL-3.0)^[6]. It also offers commercial licenses for organizations that can't use those terms^[6]. Free software still needs a server and someone to run it. We found no public list prices for standalone commercial cores for businesses.

SIM cards and eSIMs. Each device needs a SIM card or eSIM issued for your network. Programmable SIM cards cost little. sysmocom sells a 10-pack of its sysmoISIM-SJA5 cards for €80.92 including German VAT, about €8 a card^[9]. Some bundles include SIM cards: Celona's subscription includes up to 40 physical SIMs and 40 eSIMs^[8]. We found no public prices for business eSIM provisioning platforms, the software that loads eSIM profiles onto devices.

Devices. Every device must support CBRS: LTE Band 48 or 5G band n48. Zebra's TC58 handheld lists both, plus CBRS support in the US^[21]. CDW lists one TC58 configuration at $3,780.34^[15]. Equipment without a CBRS radio can connect through a gateway, which bridges to Ethernet or Wi-Fi. Waveform sells the Horizon HZ51 indoor CBRS and 5G router for $499.99^[14]. Waveform is operated by the team behind Private5G.com. Device costs grow with the number of devices. Compare supported devices in the equipment directory.

07Do you have to pay for CBRS spectrum and SAS service?

Not for the spectrum itself, if you use the license-free GAA tier. You do pay a SAS provider to register your radios and approve them to transmit. A protected channel (a PAL) costs extra.

The FCC describes GAA as licensed by rule. Any eligible user can operate across 3550–3700 MHz without an individual license^[3]. In return, GAA users must accept interference from the band's existing users (incumbents) and from PAL holders. They also get no protection from other GAA users^[3].

SAS fees. Every radio must register with a SAS and get its approval before it transmits^[4]. The CBRS rules let SAS providers (the FCC calls them SAS administrators) charge CBRS users a reasonable fee. The FCC can review fees on request^[4]. Most providers do not publish a price list. One that does is Key Bridge Wireless. On June 16, 2026 it announced a flat $500 a month that covers the first 200 radios^[10]. Each extra radio costs $5 a month, and each customer device $1 or $2 a month, depending on region^[10]. Terms are month to month^[10].

The SAS market is changing. Google stopped taking new SAS customers on June 10, 2026 and will shut its service down on June 10, 2027^[22]. Existing Google customers keep their current pay-as-you-go rates until then, but they must move to another provider^[22]. If a quote assumes Google's SAS, ask how the move is handled and priced.

Paying for protection. A Priority Access License (PAL) protects a 10 MHz channel in 3550–3650 MHz from GAA users in one county^[3]. PALs are 10-year renewable licenses^[3]. Up to seven are issued per county, and one licensee can hold at most four in a county^[3]. The FCC sold them in Auction 105 and announced the winners on September 2, 2020^[13].

If you need protected spectrum without bidding, you can lease it. The FCC lets PAL holders divide their licenses by area (partition) or by frequency (disaggregate), and lease them^[3]. This includes a simplified ("light-touch") leasing process that a SAS provider can support^[3]. Lease terms are negotiated in private, and we found no public lease price list. The CBRS map shows PAL counts by county as planning context. Our guide to CBRS, SAS and Dynamic Protection Areas explains what a map can and can't tell you.

08What do installation, certified installers and integration cost?

We found the least public pricing for these costs, because they depend on your building or site. Each radio needs power, a network connection and timing. The Baicells Neutrino430, for example, takes DC power or power over Ethernet^[7]. It connects by Ethernet or fiber and keeps time by GPS or over the network^[7]. Outdoor radios also need poles or roof mounts and weatherproofing, and Category B radios need a certified installer^[4].

Certified installers. Category B radios are limited to outdoor use and must be professionally installed^[4]. WInnForum approves the training programs that certify these installers, called Certified Professional Installers (CPIs)^[20]. It says most CBRS radios must be installed by a CPI^[20]. It lists three approved training programs and counted more than 5,900 CPIs as of August 2025^[23]. Course prices we confirmed:

• C3 Spectra: $529 for the CPI course, which it says certifies you for 59 months. Renewal costs $249^[11].
• Federated Wireless: WirelessUnits lists its CPI course at $599^[12].
• Installer labor: integrators quote this per project. We found no public rate.

The other work usually includes:

• Site survey and radio design: this decides how many radios you need and where they go. Celona sells radio-frequency (RF) design, site survey, deployment planning and testing as optional one-time services^[8].
• Cabling and power: Ethernet runs, power-over-Ethernet (PoE) switches or injectors, and electrical work. Resolution Wireless, an integrator, says installation and electrical work make up 20 to 30 percent of a project budget^[17]. It cites no source for this.
• Backhaul: fiber or Ethernet from each radio to the core. Add an internet connection if management or the core runs in the cloud.
• Integration and commissioning: connecting the network to your firewalls, identity systems, cameras or control systems. Then testing it with real devices.

Whether your team, a supplier or an integrator does this work changes what you pay for. Buying equipment, a supported network or a turnkey installation covers the trade-offs. How to scope a private cellular network lists the facts an installer will ask for.

09What are the ongoing costs?

After launch, expect these regular costs:

• SAS fees: monthly or yearly, per radio or per plan^[10].
• Software and support subscriptions: Celona offered three- and five-year terms in 2023^[2]. Other vendors quote terms one customer at a time.
• Installer certification renewals: for example, $249 at C3 Spectra^[11].
• Spectrum: nothing for GAA. If you lease a PAL, you make lease payments. If you hold a PAL, it has a 10-year term and renewal obligations^[3].
• Growth: SIM cards, devices and radios as you add users, plus staff time to run the core and manage devices.

We found few public examples of operating costs. Fresno Unified School District built a CBRS network to connect students at home^[19]. It expected operating costs to average about $443,000 a year, including additional customer devices^[19]. The total buildout was about $7.7 million^[19]. Two integrators, Metro Wireless and Resolution Wireless, each put yearly operating costs at 15 to 20 percent of the initial capital (upfront) cost^[16][17]. Neither cites a source.

10For engineers: power limits, interfaces and core licenses

47 CFR Part 96 caps radio power by device class^[4]. A Category A radio may radiate up to 30 dBm per 10 MHz. A Category B radio may reach 47 dBm per 10 MHz^[4]. A Category A radio mounted outdoors with its antenna more than 6 meters above average terrain is treated as Category B^[4]. To keep a pilot radio in Category A, check the maximum effective isotropic radiated power (EIRP) on its data sheet.

Part 96 calls each radio a CBSD (Citizens Broadband Radio Service Device). SAS pricing can depend on the number of registered CBSDs and customer devices^[10].