The deployment options vary considerably in terms of their dependency on service providers, which increases from option 1 to option 4. Note that even if an isolated deployment with a full 5G system setup is (technically) managed by the enterprise, it can still be built and maintained by a service provider. The same is true of options 2 and 3.

To determine how your enterprise can benefit from 5G and which deployment option and optional integrations are best suited, begin by considering the specific requirements of actual use cases with the planned NPN, for example in terms of your operation’s latency, data throughput, capacity, and time sensitivity. Find out which NPN solutions for meeting these basic requirements are available in your area. Then analyze the options while applying other criteria, for example in terms of capital expenditures and operating costs and any specific preferences you may have.

It’s also necessary to consider the operational aspects of the desired deployment: network setup and configuration, hiring and/or training of staff, subscriptions to one or more networks using (e-)SIMs or other kinds of credentials, and any optional integration with services and/or capabilities such as VoIP, IMS, time-sensitive networking, device onboarding functionality, and firewalled connectivity to other public networking services (for instance, for accommodating regulatory services such as an emergency alert system, emergency calls, and lawful interception).[1]

This is explained in greater depth in the 5G-ACIA white paper “NPNs for Industrial Scenarios” LINK, which presents some key findings on the discussed use cases:

• At least for the described example operations and use cases, the best approach appears to be local deployment of a NPN on the premises of an industrial enterprise.
• The discussed use cases don’t require any communication outside the industrial site itself.
• The performance requirements of the presented example use cases can be met with either an SNPN or, if it is deployed as an on-premises NPN, a PNI-NPN as shown in this white paper. Note that, in other use cases, one or more slices in the public network may be enough.
• An OT enterprise using an NPN must have appropriate access for operating and managing it in accordance with the industrial operation’s requirements.
• Whether or not there is access to appropriate spectrum resources affects decisions on how the private network is deployed.
• Isolated and shared deployments can take the form of network-as-a-service (NaaS) models.

[1] TNO report “5G Non-Public Network Architectures (tno.nl)”