Private 5G Networks: Concepts, Architectures, and Research Landscape

A private fifth generation (5G) network is a dedicated 5G network with enhanced communication characteristics, unified connectivity, optimized services, and customized security within a specific area. By subsuming the advantages of both public and non-public 5G networks, private 5G networks have found their applications across industry, business, utilities, and the public sector. As a promising accelerator for Industry 4.0, the concept of a private 5G network has recently attracted significant research attention from industry and academia. This article provides a comprehensive review of research on private 5G networks. Specifically, this paper first provides an overview of the concept and architecture of private 5G networks. It then discusses implementation issues and key enabling technologies for private 5G networks, followed by their more appealing use cases and existing real-life demonstrations. Finally, it examines some research challenges and future directions regarding private 5G networks.