This subtopic provides an overview of four NPN deployment options, discussing how they differ from one another, their pros and cons, which aspects are the responsibility of (and therefore need to be discussed with) a service provider, and which will remain within the enterprise. For more detailed information, see the 5G-ACIA white paper “5G Non-Public Networks for Industrial Scenarios”.

The four NPN deployments options are:

1. Isolated: Fully independent network and radio stations on the enterprise’s premises
2. Shared RAN: An independent core network and a radio network (base stations) shared with a service provider
3. Shared RAN and control plane: User data traffic stays in the enterprise network, while radio, subscriptions, and network-internal control functions are handled by a service provider, possibly while giving enterprise users access to management APIs. In some cases, parts of the control plane can also be locally deployed.
4. Deployed in a public network (network slice): Full dependence on a public network, with a virtually independent “network slice” being reserved for secure, private use by the enterprise. It is also possible to provide users at the enterprise with access to management APIs.