With the rise of Internet of Things  applications and the need for increasing numbers of people and devices to be connected, more businesses and organizations are turning to private wireless networks to bridge the performance, cost and coverage gaps of Wi-Fi and the control and security gaps of using public cellular networks.

Private wireless networks leverage LTE and 5G technology and edge computing to support enterprise and industrial applications with high-throughput, low-latency connectivity across building and campus settings. Private wireless can enable solutions like–

• IoT sensor data at shipping and distribution centers
• Improved vehicle and logistics coordination at transportation hubs
• Enhanced manufacturing control through Industrial IoT
• Operations monitoring and security at oil and gas refineries
• Network health and operation monitoring for utilities

But while organizations can look to private LTE/5G solutions to provide robust local areacompute and connectivity, it turns out that not every factory, campus, or refinery is within reach of the dependable wide area network that turns a single well-connected location into part of the larger digitized enterprise. Intelsat is working with customers and Solution Partners to enable every part of the modern enterprise with simplified solutions like FlexEnterprise Hosted.

For example, we’ve recently worked with Nokia to enable them to deliver their Digital Automation Cloud (DAC) private wireless solutions to all of a customer’s locations regardless of where in the world they may be. Across the Intelsat’s global network footprint, FlexEnterprise Hosted simplifies the delivery of reliable high-throughput connectivity by removing the need to manage satellite capacity or commit to wholesale services, allowing connectivity to be enabled and changed through Intelsat’s web-based portal.

“Nokia DAC is an as-a-service private wireless solution which requires an external link to a cloud-based management allowing for always up-to-date software, improved application performance and high network availability,” said Shkumbin Hamiti, head of Devices and Spectrum, Nokia Enterprise Solutions. “The required capacity for such links makes Intelsat flexible satellite connectivity a perfectly suitable option in remote areas where the access to any other forms of backhaul can be tricky or expensive. The Intelsat connection can also serve as an option for our US CBRS private wireless customers where the connectivity to certified SAS (Spectrum Access System) is mandatory.”

“Even beyond the technical and ease-of-deployment features, Nokia has expressed that the biggest benefit to them is simply being prepared to respond quickly to requests,” said Intelsat Director of Sales, Peter Hall. “They see private wireless solutions as one of their biggest growth areas. As a FlexEnterprise Hosted Solution Partner, they can address 100% of the locations when responding to a new RFP and be fully compliant with their response.”

As organizations in sectors as diverse as energy and utilities, mining, manufacturing, public safety, and transportation look to new technologies to drive their businesses, Intelsat’s solution partners can leverage services like FlexEnterprise Hosted to enable those technologies in places where no connection was possible before. No business location is too remote to contribute to the potential of the digitized organization.