From the conversation I had, you don't need a spectrum license and Amazon ships you the equipment. The killer app is that there is no per device costs and you pay based on your usage.
Unfortunately, no mention of actual pricing.
AWS Private 5G
261–270 of 370 posts
Re: AWS Private 5G
#262It seems everyone here is confused. Here's the official FAQ, and it has 0 marketing garbage. https://aws.amazon.com/private5g/faqs/ There's no "telecom as a service", and there's no "5g can be split into multiple networks" nonsense. Amazon is just selling 5g access points and hardware (just like you would install wifi), and rents you a private connection for that hardware to AWS, and management of that network from A…
to be a Telco at scale you need dedicated spectrum allocation which is seldom auctioned by the government at super high price so this is definitively what this is. it uses CBRS Spectrum which is dynamically allocated per site and the government can yank the CBRS spectrum you were temporary allocated at their discretion.
Re: AWS Private 5G
#263Let me put my perspective, coming from a guy who is involved in private Cellular networking (US as well as other countries): 1) Private 5G can be deployed either with licensed operator (Cellular provider) or in CBRS band (CBRS band is opened by FCC for the private cellular deployment). It can be used free or paid, different options. (Fees is minimal). 2) CBRS still doesnt support 5G. No idea how AWS will provide. But…
Is thei FAQ in line with your understanding? You might be more capable than me at parsing it for all I can understand is: "You will receive all the AWS Private 5G hardware (including SIM cards) and software you need to deploy your private cellular network and connect devices to your applications."
I translate that to: we sell 5G access points as an alternative to wifi access points. Am I wrong? Cause if I am right I fail to see the bigness of it. I just see it as something reasonable.
Re: AWS Private 5G
#264It seems everyone here is confused. Here's the official FAQ, and it has 0 marketing garbage. https://aws.amazon.com/private5g/faqs/ There's no "telecom as a service", and there's no "5g can be split into multiple networks" nonsense. Amazon is just selling 5g access points and hardware (just like you would install wifi), and rents you a private connection for that hardware to AWS, and management of that network from A…
to be a Telco at scale you need dedicated spectrum allocation which is seldom auctioned by the government at super high price so this is definitively what this is. it uses CBRS Spectrum which is dynamically allocated per site and the government can yank the CBRS spectrum you were temporary allocated at their discretion.
There are other comments here claiming Telco nonsense. What you say sounds reasonable though :)
Re: AWS Private 5G
#265Earlier quoted context omitted.
None of this is really what this service is intended for. If you read the whitepaper, they list examples of what this would be useful for; namely, covering your own space with your own 5G for your own devices. Deploy it in these areas instead of WiFi: 1. A stadium's remote ad/video/informational displays 2. A logistics distribution hub's stock-tracking robots/systems/handhelds 3. A corporate campus's smart displays o…
Is there any reason it _couldn't_ become that?
Probably not, except cost. It would be too expensive to compete with the national providers and then you would still need to interface with them for any service outside of the city. It's possible, just not the intended use case and not a logical use.
Re: AWS Private 5G
#266Earlier quoted context omitted.
Is there any reason it _couldn't_ become that?
Probably not, except cost. It would be too expensive to compete with the national providers and then you would still need to interface with them for any service outside of the city. It's possible, just not the intended use case and not a logical use.
I remember people making very similar claims about AWS EC2 in 2007.
Re: AWS Private 5G
#267Relevant XKCD: https://xkcd.com/1865/
Which seems to be true for me. Despite having semi-pro levels of wifi gear and a "fiber" provider at home, I can often get transfers work by turning 'off' the wifi and going to LTE.
If I were a campus IT administrator, it probably makes a lot of sense to get rid of wifi costs.
Re: AWS Private 5G
#268It seems everyone here is confused. Here's the official FAQ, and it has 0 marketing garbage. https://aws.amazon.com/private5g/faqs/ There's no "telecom as a service", and there's no "5g can be split into multiple networks" nonsense. Amazon is just selling 5g access points and hardware (just like you would install wifi), and rents you a private connection for that hardware to AWS, and management of that network from A…
I'm still kinda of confused... does that mean we could say get a simcard and make voice calls via this network? insert sim card into mobile phone android/iphone and make phone calls?
They are giving you a core and a RAN (Radio Access Network). The RAN uses “lightly licensed spectrum,” (CBRS in the US), which I believe is supported in newer iPhones.
That’s enough to make bars appear on your phone. What’s missing is the IMS, which adds traditional calling, voicemail, SMS, etc. However, FaceTime, iMessage, etc. will all work.
Re: AWS Private 5G
#269I think people are missing the point on what this is about. It's not about telecom at all. 5G is being looked at as an alternative to WiFi in certain environments - large retail stores, warehouses, ...etc. Basically anything where you need large scale WiFi mesh setups and the devices are controlled by a single entity.
Re: AWS Private 5G
#270Become a telecom as a service! Super cool. For those who are glancing over, this is a big deal. 5G isn't really like 4G upgraded. It's more its own thing. I believe this has been available though for a while and many telecoms have partnerships with FAANG beyond Amazon. With 5G you can essentially split a network into multiple partitions and scale them independently on-demand called Network Slicing. (like cloud comput…
> This could be extremely useful for security. Maybe even the death of VPNs.
You can already get this - if you think you need it, you should google 'Private APN'. It's been available for years, assuming you're a corporate user looking for a few hundred SIM cards.