The possible or predicted use of private 5G networks will likely often involve edge computing, as the purpose of the private 5G will be to support networks of sensors, even if many other deployments are designed simply to provide indoor mobile phone connectivity.
Factory or seaport automation use cases provide examples of the former. Sports venues provide examples of the latter.
That is not to deny many early use cases where 5G is used to provide a fixed wireless access service competing with fixed network services. That is an obvious use case with clear demand drivers and a business case. For most consumer phone customers, 5G will simply mean “faster mobile internet access.”
You can see that in this forecast of edge footprint by Tolaga Research, which shows significant use cases for mobile internet access and fixed wireless.
But most of the innovative use cases will revolve around the internet of things and ultra-low-latency use cases where edge computing is a necessary or helpful companion technology. Many IoT use cases will involve monitoring of physical processes, where the raw data collected will benefit from local processing.
Many of the ultra-low-latency use cases will likewise benefit from local processing, matching the ultra-low-latency local or inside-the-building communications links.
Researchers at Real Wireless, for example, say up to 75 percent of enterprise small cell deployments will be installed by third parties, not mobile operators, for example. In many cases, the devices communicating over those small cell networks will be sensors, connected to some edge server that provides alarms, for example.
source: Semiconductor Engineering
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