According to GSMA Intelligence, private 5G has moved beyond buzzword status: telecom operators are seeing strong, concrete demand for private networks from several critical sectors.
The most significant driver today is the military and defence sector, which operators now identify as the single largest source of demand. This trend is evident in real-world projects. In Sweden, the armed forces have partnered with Telia and Ericsson to strengthen battlefield communications, logistics, and operational resilience. In the United States, Nokia has delivered tactical private wireless solutions to the Marine Corps to provide high-speed, secure connectivity under extreme conditions.
Meeting these needs often requires specialised equipment such as portable “network-in-a-backpack” systems and ruggedised hardware designed for harsh environments. New turnkey solutions can provide fully secure, end-to-end private 5G capabilities in just a few hours, which is especially valuable for military deployments and emergency response operations.
These deployments also reveal that global technology providers must collaborate closely with trusted local partners who understand regional requirements, regulations, and operational realities.
Public safety represents a parallel use case where private 5G is becoming the critical communications backbone for emergency services. First responders need networks that are secure, resilient, and reliable. Across Europe, projects are underway to deliver mission-critical connectivity—for example, Finland’s Erillisverkot is building a dedicated network for first responders to ensure consistent, secure communications when every second counts.
This market shift is changing how telcos position themselves. A growing majority of operators—61%—now say their primary objective is to act as full digital transformation partners for clients rather than simply providing radio coverage. They aim to design and manage complete private 5G ecosystems to support public safety, healthcare, smart cities, industrial automation, and other enterprise applications.
Regulatory frameworks and operational policies need to evolve alongside these technologies. For example, implementing drone-assisted emergency response requires updated rules to enable safe, legal deployment at scale.
A major technical enabler of private 5G’s rise is the rapid growth of AI. As businesses adopt generative AI and other advanced models, they generate large volumes of data that must be processed locally and securely with minimal latency. The industry report notes that while 86% of businesses use generative AI, only about one-third apply it extensively. Private 5G fills that gap by delivering robust on-premises connectivity and edge computing capabilities tailored for data-intensive AI workloads.
One notable example is the Verizon and Nvidia collaboration, which integrates Verizon’s private 5G services with Nvidia’s AI platform so organizations can run demanding AI inference and training tasks on-site, with low latency and strong security controls.
As a result, many telecom operators are shifting toward managed services models. They are taking on end-to-end responsibilities that include design, deployment, operation, and ongoing management of private networks and the associated cloud and edge infrastructure.
Vodafone, for instance, has deployed a private 5G network at the Harwell Science and Innovation Campus in the UK, serving a diverse set of organisations including the European Space Agency. In India, Ericsson recently secured a large contract with Bharti Airtel to manage a broad portfolio of services, including private networks for enterprise clients.
Security is a decisive differentiator in vendor selection. When asked what makes them a trusted partner, the top response from operators was expertise in delivering secure solutions. Enterprises choose private 5G specifically for its enhanced security and control, so operators that prioritise robust security architectures, compliance, and lifecycle management are best positioned to win business.
(Photo by Annie Spratt)
Event notice: If you’re reassessing your digital transformation strategy, events such as Digital Transformation Week bring together IoT, AI, cloud security, and related tracks to showcase enterprise-ready solutions and real-world deployments. Conferences like these can help organisations evaluate private 5G use cases, regulatory challenges, and vendor capabilities without committing to unproven approaches.
In summary, private 5G is evolving into a practical, high-value technology for defence, public safety, and enterprise sectors. Its success depends on secure, low-latency connectivity, strong local partnerships, integrated AI and edge compute capabilities, and operators’ willingness to deliver managed services. As regulations catch up and adoption of AI accelerates, private 5G is poised to become a foundational component of digital transformation strategies across multiple industries.