Initial private 5G networks will come relatively soon, as the 3rd Generation Partnership Project finalized its latest 5G New Radio specification, Release 16, in July 2020. The specification supports 5G standalone networks with a 5G core and will enable enterprises to use 5 GHz and 6 GHz unlicensed spectrum for forthcoming private networks.
The CBRS band is also included in the previously non-standalone 5G, which uses a 4G evolved packet core to control the 5G radio network and wouldn’t enable carriers to deploy localized, private 5G networks. Deloitte expects more than 100 companies will start to test private 5G networks by the end of 2020. Full private 5G networks won’t be commercially available until at least 2021.