Private 5G networks explained: what they are, how they work, what they cost and who sells them

01What is a private 5G network?

A private 5G network gives your organization its own cellular network. You decide which devices can join, where their traffic goes and where coverage is built. It uses the same 3GPP (3rd Generation Partnership Project) standards as a public carrier network.

GSA defines private mobile networks as LTE or 5G networks, built on 3GPP standards, that are meant only for private use^[1]. At a minimum, GSA says, such a network needs its own dedicated core^[1]. 3GPP's own name for these networks is non-public networks^[5].

People also call them private cellular or private wireless networks. Those terms cover both LTE and 5G.

02What is private 5G used for?

Organizations usually turn to private cellular when Wi-Fi or cabling struggles. Common cases are large outdoor areas, vehicles that move between radios, cameras that send video all day, and sites with no wired network nearby. Each guide below lists the questions about devices, traffic and your site to answer before you buy.

• Warehouses and fulfillment centersScanners, mobile robots and vehicle terminals across tall racking, docks and yards.
• Manufacturing and industrial IoTMachines, sensors and mobile equipment on the plant floor, and how that traffic reaches control systems.
• Yard and vehicle automationYard trucks, tractors and autonomous vehicles moving across large outdoor sites.
• Ports and terminalsWide quays and changing container stacks for cranes, carriers, gates and crews.
• Video surveillance and securityFixed and relocatable cameras beyond practical cable runs, planned around sustained uplink video.
• Campus and in-building coverageA managed network across buildings, parking areas and the outdoor spaces between them.
• Remote and utility sitesSubstations, well pads, pits and pipelines where cabling and public coverage fall short.
• Temporary and event networksNetworks for events, construction phases or incident response that come down again afterward.

How common is it? Adoption is measured in thousands of organizations worldwide. GSA counted 1,846 customers with private LTE or 5G networks in 80 countries as of August 2025. That was up 7.7% from 1,714 in 2024^[1]. In the U.S., a report released in June 2026 counted 1,580 private 5G networks. It found that 75% of them use CBRS^[4]. The OnGo Alliance and other CBRS advocacy groups commissioned that report^[4]. The two counts use different methods, so you can't compare them directly.

Four U.S. examples. Our deployment records collect public reports. Almost all come from vendor case studies or press releases. So the details are what the vendor reported, not independent measurements.

The Chevron Phillips network runs LTE today, and Kyndryl describes it as able to support 5G in the future^[9]. Mixed networks are common. GSA counts 19.0% of private network customers running both LTE and 5G^[1].

03Private 5G, private LTE or Wi-Fi: which fits?

Most buyers choose among these three options. Private LTE and private 5G are both cellular systems built on 3GPP standards. In CBRS they share the same 3550–3700 MHz band under the same rules^[3][10][11]. So the choice between them depends mostly on your devices, the performance you need and the core. Wi-Fi is a different technology that uses unlicensed spectrum.

• Private LTE vs private 5GDevices, speed, cost and how to move from LTE to 5G later.
• Private 5G vs Wi-FiWhen each one fits, and when to run both.
• Private LTE networksHow they work, Band 48 equipment and setup steps.

04What parts does a private 5G network need?

Every private 5G network has the same three main parts: devices, radios and core software^[2]. That is true for a kit that covers one building and for a system that covers a whole port. In CBRS, a Spectrum Access System (SAS) must also approve each radio before it transmits^[3]. Each part comes with decisions that you or your supplier must make.

How a device connects. This is what happens when a device turns on:

1. The device finds your network

   When a handheld powers on, it finds a radio broadcasting your network's identity.

2. It proves it belongs

   It checks its SIM credentials against the subscriber list in your core.

3. The core lets it in

   The core admits the device and sets up a data connection for it.

4. Its traffic flows

   The core forwards the device's data to systems on your LAN or out to the internet^[2].

In the background, each radio holds a channel grant from the SAS. A grant is permission to use a channel, and the radio must follow the SAS's instructions^[3].

05What are the ways to get a private 5G network?

You have five main options. The technology is the same in each one. What changes is who designs, installs and runs the network, and how much of that work you do yourself.

Whichever option you choose, the first steps are the same:

1. List your devices

   Check that every device you must connect supports your band: n48 for 5G in CBRS. Our CBRS device guide shows how.

2. Decide who does the work

   Compare your staff and your site with the “Fits when” column above.

3. Plan your spectrum

   Choose between GAA and a PAL, and pick a SAS provider. The next section explains both.

4. Write a brief and get quotes

   The project planner produces a brief you can send to vendors in any of these groups.

06Which spectrum can a U.S. private 5G network use?

In the U.S., you can run a private network without buying spectrum. Any eligible organization can use CBRS, a shared band of 150 MHz from 3550 to 3700 MHz^[3]. The FCC created it in 2015^[3]. LTE calls the band Band 48, and 5G calls it n48^[10][11]. Our CBRS guide covers the rules in depth.

Users share CBRS in three tiers. Federal users come first and are protected from everyone else. Holders of a Priority Access License (PAL) come next. They are protected from General Authorized Access (GAA) users and from each other. GAA users come last. They get no protection from one another and must accept interference from both higher tiers^[3]. A SAS enforces that order, radio by radio^[3].

Most counties have PAL holders, but you can still use GAA there. Private5G.com analyzed the FCC's license database (the Universal Licensing System, or ULS), using the file dated September 27, 2026. We found 20,185 active PALs under 304 licensee names. At least one PAL is active in 3,220 of the 3,233 county license areas. All seven are licensed in 2,328 counties^[17]. But a license does not mean a busy channel. GAA radios can still use PAL frequencies wherever the SAS finds they are not in use^[3]. Our CBRS map shows PAL counts by county.

Where you mount a radio changes the rules. Category A radios may be installed indoors or outdoors. But if an outdoor antenna is more than 6 meters above average terrain, the radio counts as Category B. Category B radios are outdoor-only and must be professionally installed^[3].

Federal users can move your radios off a channel. Sensors watch for federal signals. When they detect one, the SAS has 300 seconds to suspend affected radios or move them to another channel^[3]. Our CBRS guide explains how Dynamic Protection Areas (DPAs) around federal sites affect where and when radios can transmit.

Choose a SAS provider with care. Every CBRS radio works through a SAS provider. Google stopped taking new SAS customers in June 2026. It plans to shut its SAS down on June 10, 2027^[4]. According to Broadband Breakfast, Google's site points customers to other SAS operators such as Federated Wireless, Nokia, Sony and Red Technologies^[4]. Our SAS administrator tracker lists who is active.

Carriers can use their own spectrum. A carrier can run a private network on its own licensed spectrum. Verizon, for example, offers a managed private 5G service on licensed, dedicated spectrum or on unlicensed spectrum^[13]. Our private LTE guide covers other licensed bands used for private LTE.

07How much does a private 5G network cost?

There is no reliable single price. We have not found a public benchmark for total project cost that we could verify. Your cost depends on four things:

• the area you need to cover, and its building materials;
• the number and type of devices;
• how much design and installation help you buy;
• whether you use GAA spectrum or pay for a PAL.

Our private 5G cost guide breaks down each line item. The project planner turns your site details into a scoped brief that vendors can price.

08Who sells private 5G?

No single supplier covers every part of every site. Suppliers fall into a few groups, and most projects combine several. The vendor directory lists each company with its products and the sources behind each record.

Waveform appears in the table because it sells preconfigured private 5G kits. Private5G.com is operated by the team behind Waveform and RSRF. Waveform's records follow the same sourcing rules as every other vendor's.

Check the date on any vendor list you rely on. AWS ended its Private 5G service in May 2025 and now points customers to partner networks^[18]. It still appears in some older rankings.

09For engineers: 3GPP terms, the 5G core and CBRS radio rules

Non-public networks. 3GPP wrote non-public networks into its specifications in Release 16, and it defines two kinds^[5]. A standalone non-public network does not rely on any network functions of a public mobile network^[5]. A public network integrated non-public network is deployed with a mobile operator's support, for example as a private slice of the operator's network^[5]. A network built from your own radios and core, without the carrier's network functions, matches the first description. A carrier-delivered service can fall into either category, depending on how much of the carrier's network it relies on.

Architecture. In 3GPP terms, every private 5G network is built from user equipment, a radio access network (RAN) and a 5G core (5GC)^[2]. 5G base stations, called gNBs, form the RAN^[2]. 3GPP treats a device as the mobile hardware plus its USIM (universal subscriber identity module), the credential that proves it belongs on your network^[2].

Standalone or non-standalone. In non-standalone (NSA) mode, 5G radios work alongside an LTE network and its 4G core, the Evolved Packet Core (EPC). In standalone (SA) mode, 5G radios connect to a 5G core. Only SA supports the full set of 5G Phase 1 services^[2].

Performance targets. The ITU (International Telecommunication Union) minimum requirements for 5G are known as IMT-2020. They include 4 ms user-plane latency for mobile broadband and 1 ms for ultra-reliable low-latency service, measured in unloaded conditions^[19]. These are targets for evaluating radio technology, not what a given site will measure. Our private LTE vs private 5G guide compares them with the 4G targets.

CBRS rules. The FCC's CBRS rules are in 47 CFR Part 96, and they are technology-neutral^[3]. A radio reports its air interface when it registers^[3]. In the rules, each radio is a CBSD (Citizens Broadband Radio Service Device). Category A radios are limited to 30 dBm effective isotropic radiated power (EIRP) per 10 MHz. Category B radios may reach 47 dBm per 10 MHz but must be outdoors and professionally installed^[3]. Category A radios that determine their own location can register without a professional installer under the FCC rule^[3]. Your SAS may still require installer-reported data in some cases^[3]. The sensors that detect federal signals are called an environmental sensing capability (ESC)^[3].

Subscriber identities. Each subscription needs an IMSI (international mobile subscriber identity). U.S. CBRS networks can use the shared network identifier 315-010 and a four-digit IMSI block from the ATIS-overseen administrator. Each block holds 100,000 identities^[15].