The demand for mobile data and wireless connectivity has increased dramatically in the last few years. And as millions of new devices come online every day to connect to the Internet of Things (IoT), this demand will skyrocket. Private LTE, which stands for Long Term Evolution, is a cellular network that provides access to fast and secure wireless connectivity that will become indispensable for business growth and innovation.
Private LTE is owned and operated by private businesses rather than a mobile carrier like Verizon or AT&T. Private LTE can be tailored to fit the needs of your business while offering the benefits of high speed and better security. For example, universities and colleges use Private LTE because it provides fast, secure, and reliable connectivity which is critical in helping them enhance their offerings and serve their students with mass notifications for security, remote learning, and AI development.
Why You Need Private LTE
Public networks can become congested during peak usage hours, which slows the connection. Private LTE, however, can deliver large amounts of data at high speeds with enhanced security. Healthcare providers benefit from this feature because it assures that the staff has access to data from medical devices and hospital records while protecting patient privacy and complying with HIPAA requirements.
Private LTE vs. Wi-Fi
Traditionally, Wi-Fi has been used for wireless data transmission, but Wi-Fi is at a distinct disadvantage when compared to Private LTE. Wi-Fi uses unlicensed public radio waves that make it vulnerable to hacking and interference. Private LTE allows you to secure your encrypted data behind private firewalls and use private SIM cards to control access to the network. Private LTE delivers better coverage than Wi-Fi over large geographic areas, underground, and both indoors and outdoors. Private LTE is easier and less expensive to administer and maintain than Wi-Fi networks. Private LTE devices can also be designed to switch to public cellular networks if users leave the private network’s coverage area.
Private LTE vs. Carrier Coverage
Private LTE has several advantages over carriers like Verizon and AT&T.
- Coverage – Carriers limit your coverage to the areas they find economically feasible to serve. Private LTE gives you coverage anywhere you can set up your transmitters.
- Prioritization – Commercial carriers require their users to share the same resources, so when the network is overloaded, everyone’s performance suffers.
- Maintenance and Upgrades – These are scheduled by the carrier, not its customers, meaning you have no control over when this happens or if it happens at all.
Hunt Is Experienced with Private LTE
Hunt played a vital role in equipping the Utah Education Telehealth Network (UETN) with Private LTE. This helped them connect schools, libraries, colleges, and healthcare providers in every county across the state of Utah enabling them to manage critical services with a robust internet backbone and reliable network. UETN’s efforts also enhanced the quality of K-12 education in these locations by empowering schools with secure, scalable, and affordable wireless connectivity that gives students more and better options for pursuing their education both in the classroom and at home.
The system’s success in providing fast and secure connectivity, even to remote areas, has allowed districts to use it for connecting campus parking lot cameras to the network. The system exceeded their expectations. As a UETN representative explains, “The network is handling hundreds of megabits a day of camera traffic with zero problems.”
Partnership with Nokia Corporation
Hunt has partnered with global communications and information technology leader Nokia Corporation to give clients the option of having their network managed by a worldwide provider specializing in Private LTE. Nokia established the first private wireless network in 2012. Our partnership allows Hunt to offer you a world-class solution supported at the local level.
How Hunt Can Help
Industries in every part of the economy rely on wireless network connectivity to support digitization and automation. With the anticipated flood of wireless smart devices equipped with sensors and software that exchange data over the internet, Private LTE will be critical to their growth and progress.
As a technology contractor with experience designing, installing, and commissioning the infrastructure for Private LTE, Hunt Electric can simplify the process for you. Our experience and partnership with global communications leader Nokia can help us design and deliver a network customized to meet your needs.
Contact us to learn more.
