- SNS Telecom & IT expects private network startups to increase their market share slightly over the next few years
- Airspan, Celona, Druid Software, GXC and others are among the contenders
- There are many, many others according to their latest private 5G report
Startups and established private cellular technology specialists continue to carve out a niche in this growing market. Our friends at analyst firm SNS Telecom & IT talked to me this week about how these ventures are growing in this space, referencing their latest private 5G report.
“In terms of collective [private] RAN and mobile core infrastructure sales, incumbents continue to dominate the private 4G/5G market, with over 85% of the revenue attributed to Nokia, Ericsson, Huawei, ZTE, and Samsung,” said SNS Telecom & IT 5G research director Asad Khan in an email to Fierce.
A steady increase
Over the last 12 months, smaller players have collectively increased their share by a single-digit percentage, a trend that SNS expects to continue throughout the remainder of this decade, according to Khan.
“We are seeing a steady increase in the deployment of solutions from both startups and established private cellular technology specialists,” he stated.
"Funding is also growing as institutional investors gain confidence in the market," he said. According to the report, some of the most popular startups and specialist vendors along with their major deployments are:
Celona
Celona’s 5G LAN solution has been deployed by over 100 customers, including BP, LyondellBasell, SHC (Stanford Health Care), Standard Steel and Del Conca. Several mobile operators and integrators, including Verizon, NTT DATA, and STC Group, use Celona as part of their private cellular business offerings. The company has raised over $135 million in venture funding to date.
Read our latest on Celona here: Celona CEO on private networks, the growth of healthcare and AI
Globalstar
Globalstar’s XCOM 5G RAN solution is being implemented by one of the largest global retailers for warehouse automation, initially using Band n48 (3.5 GHz) CBRS spectrum, with future plans for incorporating Band n53 (2.4 GHz) spectrum. The 3GPP Release 16-compliant multipoint terrestrial RAN system is optimized for dense private wireless deployments in Industry 4.0 automation environments.
Read our latest on Globalstar here.
Druid Software
Irish mobile core technology vendor Druid Software has private cellular deployments in over 35 countries. The company has recently secured $20 million in strategic growth capital to expand into verticals such as defense, shipping and utilities.
HPE
HPE’s mobile core solution (inherited through its acquisition of Athonet) has been adopted by 500 enterprises and 25 service providers for their private cellular installations over the last 15 years. Similarly, Cisco has had a long-standing presence in the mobile core segment of the market with its first LTE EPC core deployments dating back to the early 2010s.
Read our latest on HPE here: HPE strengthens its grip on the smart switch market
Airspan Networks
Airspan Networks has over 500 private network customers. One of its largest private 5G installations is an ATG (Air-to-Ground) network for Gogo Aviation. Spanning over 2,400 Open RAN-compliant RUs (Radio Units), the network is due to be commercially launched this year. Airspan has also supplied 1,500 LTE small cells for Meta’s neutral host network and recently worked with Hitachi Rail to implement a Band n79 (4.9 GHz) private 5G network for New York Subway’s Crosstown Line.
JMA Wireless
JMA Wireless is another American RAN equipment vendor whose private wireless solutions have been deployed by the U.S. military and commercial customers for applications ranging from expeditionary operations and airfield/flightline management to smart warehouse logistics.
Mavenir
Mavenir has recently won a deal to deploy its converged LTE EPC and 5GC packet core solution across Tampnet’s offshore private 4G/5G network in the North Sea and the Gulf of America/Mexico. It is also collaborating with Tū Ātea (Formerly Interim Māori Spectrum Commission) to deploy private 5G networks in New Zealand, including at CentrePort’s port facilities in Wellington.
Read the latest on Mavenir here.
GXC
GXC – a private cellular technology provider recently acquired by Motive Companies – is gaining traction beyond its domestic U.S. market, with a recent Band n77 (3.9-3.95 GHz) private 5G deployment for the 2025 Australian Grand Prix Formula One motor race. Its other recent deployments in the U.S., which operate in Band 48/n48 (3.5 GHz) CBRS spectrum, range from poultry processing to chemical production facilities.
HFR Mobile
HFR Mobile – the private 5G business unit of Korean telecommunications equipment maker HFR – has won several contracts in its domestic market and Japan with customers in multiple verticals, including agriculture, construction, healthcare, manufacturing, public safety, railways, and utilities.
Abside Networks
Abside Networks, an American manufacturer of military-grade 5G infrastructure, has reported growing interest in its Band n79 (4.9 GHz) private 5G network solution for federal, state and local government agencies, and the Department of Defense. Its customers include but are not limited to the U.S. military, NASA and the Department of Homeland Security.
Baicells
Baicells, which has served as an OEM in over 500 CBRS network projects, has also secured private 4G/5G network contracts in Brazil, Japan, Indonesia and several other national markets. Although Reuters reported an Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) investigation into the company’s U.S. operations, Baicells has stated that it has not been contacted by the FBI or served with any subpoena, though it acknowledges the possibility that the FBI may be investigating a specific U.S. customer’s deployment of its equipment in sensitive areas.
Firecell
Firecell, a French startup specializing in industrial-grade private 5G solutions, raised $7.2 million in seed funding last year. The company's private 5G equipment has been deployed by over 90 clients across the U.S., Europe, and Japan, including Airbus, Thales, Stellantis, ID Logistics, French National Railways, U.S. Army and the U.S. Department of Energy.
AsiaInfo
AsiaInfo Technologies, a Chinese provider of lightweight mobile core software and end-to-end private 5G solutions, has implemented physically isolated private 5G networks at industrial facilities such as nuclear and coal-fired power plants, wind farms and chemical production complexes.
QCT
QCT (Quanta Cloud Technology), a Taiwanese data center and 5G solutions provider, has over 50 field deployments of its private 5G network equipment in Taiwan, Japan, South Korea, Singapore, Germany, the U.S., Taiwan and other countries.
Moso Networks
Newcomer Moso Networks (formerly MosoLabs) is a U.S.-based provider of private 5G radio products backed by Taiwanese small cell pioneer Sercomm. Its products have been deployed by the PGA Tour, University of Virginia, Baptist Health, Swans Trail Farms, Formula DRIFT, DirtFish and the Operation Connect Carolina project, among others. Moso Networks is also the OEM for Ataya’s Chorus access points.
Pente Networks
Mobile core and orchestration specialist Pente Networks has gained prominence for its rapidly deployable private 4G/5G network-in-a-box solution, which supported public safety and emergency response efforts during the recent Los Angeles wildfires and provided connectivity for broadcasters in the lead-up to last year's U.S. presidential election.
Neutral Wireless
Neutral Wireless has a similar network-in-a-box offering for the broadcasting sector, which Orange used during last year’s Paris Summer Olympics to transmit live sports footage from locations where wired cabling would be too unwieldy. The standalone private 5G network solution supports operation in Band n40 (2.3 GHz), n77 (3.8-4.2 GHz), and n78 (3.3-3.8 GHz) spectrum using the company’s own radios and third-party mobile core solutions.
Highway 9 Networks
Highway 9 Networks, which raised $25 million in seed funding last year, has developed a cloud-based platform to simplify private 5G deployments. Publicly disclosed customers include the MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology) and Arlen Specter US Squash Center. The company also has undisclosed customers in the automotive manufacturing, supply chain and commercial real estate sectors.
Read: Private wireless startup to watch: Highway 9
Neutroon Technologies
Neutroon Technologies is another private 5G orchestration specialist with commercial wins in the United States, United Kingdom, and Spain. At Crystal Palace’s Selhurst Park stadium, the company’s solution supports end-to-end management of a private 5G network, which provides high-speed, low-latency connectivity for XR (Extended Reality) headsets that enhance the vision of fans with sight loss.
“Out of the dozens of other vendors, other names worth mentioning include Telrad Networks, BLiNQ Networks, Ataya, SEMPRE, Eridan Communications, Ubiik, Star Solutions, Expeto, A5G Networks, Radisys, Wilson Connectivity, Nextivity, SOLiD, Qucell, Askey Computer, G REIGNS, Pegatron, AI-LINK, FLARE SYSTEMS, Hytec Inter, Siemens, Obvios, Eviden, Kontron, BubbleRAN, Amarisoft, CampusGenius, Cumucore, Accelleran, IS-Wireless, Effnet, Node-H, SRS (Software Radio Systems), Benetel, AttoCore, cellXica, JET Connectivity, Wireless Excellence, Antevia Networks, ASOCS, ASELSAN, PROTEI, and Trópico,” the analyst added.
Phew! That’s a lot of new private network names for people to take in, along with some already well known vendors.
One would expect the sector to settle down and solidify over the next five years as some of the successful players start to weed out some of the also-rans.
Also, don’t be surprised if some of the major incumbents try and buy up some of these private network — and the talent behind them — as the market grows. After all, many of these startups are only fighting for 15% of the addressable market.
Next, we’ll take a look at some of the system integrators involved in the private network market. You’ll be unsurprised to learn there are plenty to cover.