Mobile private network components
Conventional cellular mobile network systems, generally marketed as 4G and 5G wireless networks, are composed of the radio access network (RAN) and the Mobile Core networks. These networks have been primarily designed to seamlessly support internet protocol (IP) connectivity between the user equipment (UE) and the Packet Data Network (PDN), with high capacity and data bandwidth support for data and graphics-intensive applications.
Mobile private networks are designed to deliver reliable network coverage across business facilities and operational areas, providing the benefits and functions of a 4G and 5G mobile network in terms of quality of service, security, and reliability.
We start by exploring the AWS edge and IoT portfolio and then detail the mobile private network components and the different architecture options.
Mobile private network components
Unlike a network managed by mobile network operators, a mobile private network is a mobile network dedicated to an enterprise customer with dedicated components deployed on premises. The network utilizes dedicated RAN equipment to serve one or more enterprise campuses with voice and data functionality. This feature provides your business with greater control of the network performance metrics, such as quality of service (QoS), latency, and bandwidth management. This control enables application-aware mobile infrastructure to prioritize the traffic for the business-critical applications.
The following table summarizes key components of mobile private networks powered by AWS.
| # | Components | Deployment | Partner/Provider | Required (R) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Licensed/unlicensed spectrum | On premises | Regulatory body or CSP | R |
| 2 | Spectrum Access Systems (SAS), Domain Proxy for CBRS Spectrum | AWS Cloud | APN SAS Partners | R (for CBRS) |
| 3 | 4G/5G access points | On premises | APN Partners | R |
| 4 | 4G/5G Core Networks | AWS Cloud/AWS edge infrastructure | AWS ISV Partners | R |
| 5 | AWS edge infrastructure | On premises | AWS Outposts/AWS Snow Family | R |
| 6 | Customer premises equipment (CPE)/user equipment (UE)/ CBSD | On premises | Third-party providers |
R (CBSD for CBRS) |
| 7 | SIM cards | On premises | AWS ISV Partners | R |
| 8 | Network management system | On premises/AWS Cloud | AWS ISV Partners | R |
| 9 | Operations and orchestration | On premises/AWS Cloud | AWS ISV Partners | R |
| 10 | ISV or enterprise applications | AWS Cloud/AWS edge infrastructure | AWS ISV Partners or developers | depends on the use case |
| 11 | IoT platform | Hybrid | AWS IoT applications and solutions | depends on the use case |
Table 1 – Key components of the mobile private network powered by AWS
Note
AWS ISV Partner products
are available in
AWS Marketplace
Mobile private networks can utilize unlicensed spectrum technologies, such as Citizens Broadband Radio Service (CBRS) available in the United States. Spectrum technologies run wireless radio access points in unlicensed spectrum that are assigned to every citizen for non-exclusive usage subject to regulatory constraints. You can therefore independently deploy mobile private networks on unlicensed spectrum band without obtaining licenses from the telecommunications regulatory authority (for example, the FCC in the US, Ofcom in the UK).
You can also build mobile private networks using licensed spectrum bands, provided that your company owns the required spectrum issued by the telecommunications regulatory authority in your country. You can work with a communication services provider (CSP) to use your licensed spectrum to build the mobile private network.
Network management systems
Network management systems are part of mobile private networks. They handle the observability of the network. Telemetry systems covering the edge network logs and metrics, including RAN and Core in the AWS Cloud, are used to create performance and fault management reports.
Operations and orchestration
Automation and service assurance of mobile private networks are important components of a mobile private network deployment. Network management system outputs are used as inputs to trigger orchestration steps and further enforce service assurance targets. The network management system outputs are also used as inputs for operations like tuning the Radio Access Network (RAN).
AWS edge and IoT capabilities
AWS provides extensive services for you to manage, connect, and deploy your IoT devices and applications in a seamless and secure way. AWS also provides extensive edge capabilities that allow you to have access to compute and storage on premises as well as within a 5G network.
Figure 1 – AWS Edge and IoT capabilities
The following describes the different edge and IoT products and services.
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IoT and industrial devices – AWS IoT Greengrass
and Amazon FreeRTOS help program, manage, and connect on-premises IoT devices in an easy and secure way. AWS IoT Core lets connected devices easily and securely interact with cloud applications. AWS IoT SiteWise makes it easy to collect, organize, and analyze industrial data at scale. AWS RoboMaker helps robotics developers simulate, test, and securely deploy robotics applications at scale. -
AWS Wavelength – AWS Wavelength
combines the low latency and bandwidth of the 5G network with AWS Cloud services where application traffic can reach application servers running in Wavelength Zones without leaving the mobile network. This prevents the latency that would result from multiple hops to the internet and enables you to take full advantage of the advancements of 5G. -
On-premises edge devices – AWS Outposts
provides the same AWS hardware infrastructure, services, APIs, and tools to build and run your applications on premises and in the cloud for a consistent hybrid experience. AWS compute, storage, database, and other services run locally on Outposts. AWS Snowball Edge and AWS Snowcone are portable, rugged edge resources that you can use for storage and compute on premises. These resources work offline as well as in connected mode. Finally, AWS Storage Gateway is a hybrid cloud storage service that gives you on-premises access to virtually unlimited cloud storage.
