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Private LTE Networks Headed to the Slammer? GTL to Test CBRS

GTL, one of the two big US telecommunications providers to inmates in prisons, is looking to test voice and video applications on a private LTE network running in 3.5GHz CBRS spectrum.

Company officials declined to answer questions on the project from Light Reading. An FCC application indicates GTL will test equipment from Nokia in a rural residential area outside of Tucson, Ariz.

GTL's filing provides further evidence of a growing interest in private wireless networks, specifically those using cellular technologies and not WiFi. Such networks operate outside of commercial wireless offerings from the likes of AT&T and Verizon, and can support a wide variety of applications, from employee communications to IoT monitoring to autonomous robots. Customers for such networks could potentially span the gamut, from massive corporations like Ford and Charter Communications to government agencies such as the Department of Energy.

Indeed, according to a survey of more than 300 enterprises conducted by Nemertes Research and highlighted by cellular equipment vendor ip.access, more than 86% of organizations currently use WiFi technology for their private networks but 25% are "actively looking at switching to other technologies" over concerns about cost, reliability, security and performance.

Moreover, research firm SNS Telecom predicted spending on LTE and 5G private networks would reach $4.7 billion annually by the end of 2020, growing to $8 billion by the end of 2023.

Already, Nokia's CTO has mused that the private wireless network opportunity could eventually be twice as large as the market for commercial cellular networks.

Citizens Broadband Radio Service (CBRS)

Original Submission