Private 5G Equipment
What a private 5G network is actually made of, what each part costs, and the case for not buying any of it.
The equipment list for a private 5G network is shorter than most people expect: a radio, a core, some SIMs, the devices that connect, and the backhaul that carries the traffic away. Five categories, and only one of them is expensive. The reason private 5G has a reputation for costing six figures is not the kit itself but everything wrapped around it, namely the survey, the spectrum licence, the mounting and power, the integration with whatever systems already run the site, and the person who answers the phone when it stops working.
This page sets out each category, what it does, and roughly what it costs. If you want the architecture rather than the shopping list, see how private 5G networks work. If you want the total figure rather than the component parts, see what a private 5G network costs in the UK.
Five categories of private 5G equipment
Radios (gNodeB and small cells)
What it does
The base station that broadcasts the signal. Indoor small cells for buildings and dense sites, mast-mounted radios where one position has to cover a wide area.
What it costs
The largest single line in any build, and the one that drives the site survey, power and mounting costs behind it.
Our team led the development of the M5Q, a fully UK-manufactured 5G small cell, through the Best of British project under the Future RAN Competition. It has been trialled as pop-up 5G at Glastonbury and Priddy Folk Festival.
5G core
What it does
The software that authenticates every device, manages sessions, applies policy and routes traffic. It can sit on a small server on site or run in the cloud.
What it costs
Cheap relative to the radios, and increasingly a licence rather than a box. The choice that matters is on-premise or cloud, not which vendor badge is on it.
On-premise keeps the network running when the backhaul drops, which matters on a factory floor or a port. Cloud is simpler to operate and to keep patched. We run both.
SIMs and eSIMs
What it does
Every device needs a SIM provisioned against your network identity rather than a public operator's.
What it costs
£10 for the first physical SIM and £5 for each one after that, posted free within the UK.
USIM and ISIM applications are both supported and the SIMs are suitable for 5G standalone networks. Order online, or talk to us for eSIM profiles and larger quantities.
Customer devices and CPE
What it does
Routers, handsets, cameras, tags and sensors. In practice most sites connect through customer premises equipment, an indoor router for buildings or a weatherproof outdoor unit where the signal has to be caught outside and brought in.
What it costs
Modest per unit, but it multiplies. Device count, not coverage area, is what usually drives the number people did not budget for.
Indoor and outdoor units behave very differently in the same location. We survey before specifying rather than after.
Backhaul and power
What it does
Not equipment anyone thinks of as equipment, and the two things most likely to hold up a deployment. The radio has to reach the internet, and it has to be fed.
What it costs
Highly site-dependent. Fibre where it exists, fixed wireless or satellite where it does not.
On rural sites this is routinely the long pole. It is worth establishing what backhaul is genuinely available before specifying anything else.
When owning the equipment is the right call
We are a managed service provider, so it would be convenient for us to argue that nobody should ever buy private 5G equipment. That is not true, and it is worth being clear about where the line falls.
Buying the kit outright makes sense when three things hold at once: (i) you have an in-house RF or IT team who can run a cellular network as well as a Wi-Fi one, (ii) you have capex available and a depreciation model that rewards using it, and (iii) you expect the site to keep the network for seven years or more. Under those conditions the cost per year of use is low and the control is genuinely worth something. A large port operator or a car plant with a telecoms team on site is the archetype.
It stops making sense quickly outside those conditions. A £50,000 pilot that sits idle because nobody has time to operate it is worse than no network. So is a network that works beautifully until the one person who understood it leaves. For a holiday park, a farm, a council, a care provider, a smaller port or a mid-sized factory, a managed service from £35 a month removes the capex, the spectrum paperwork and the operational burden in one go.
Ultimately the equipment is the easy part. Specifying it correctly for the site, getting the licence, mounting it somewhere it will survive a winter, and watching it afterwards is the work.
Common questions
What equipment do you need for a private 5G network?
Five things. A radio (the gNodeB or small cell) to broadcast the signal; a 5G core to authenticate devices and route traffic; SIMs carrying your network identity; customer devices such as routers, handsets or sensors to connect over it; and backhaul to carry traffic from the site to the internet or to your own network. Spectrum is not equipment, but you cannot run without it, and in the UK that means an Ofcom Shared Access licence.
How much does private 5G equipment cost?
Bought outright, a single-site private 5G build in the UK typically runs from around £50,000 for a pilot to £500,000 and beyond for a large industrial deployment. The radios and the integration work dominate that figure; the core and the SIMs are comparatively cheap. Taken as a managed service the capex disappears entirely and you pay monthly instead, from £35 a month for a connected site.
Can I buy private 5G equipment and run it myself?
Yes, and for some organisations that is the right answer. If you have an in-house RF or IT team, a capex budget, and an estate you intend to keep for seven years or more, owning the kit gives you control and a low cost per year of use. If you have none of those things, the equipment is the easy part and the running of it is what catches people out.
What is the difference between a small cell and a macro radio?
A small cell is a low-power radio, roughly the size of a smoke alarm or a shoebox, suited to indoor coverage and dense outdoor sites. A macro radio is mast-mounted, higher power, and covers a much wider area from one position. Most private networks use small cells; a rural or wide-area site may need one or two macro positions instead, which changes the planning and power requirements significantly.
Do I need special SIMs for a private 5G network?
You need SIMs provisioned with your network identity rather than a mobile operator's. We sell programmable SIMs suitable for 5G standalone networks, with both USIM and ISIM applications supported, at £10 for the first and £5 for each one after that, posted free within the UK. eSIM profiles are available on request.
Does Aerix sell private 5G equipment?
We sell SIMs directly through our shop. For radios, cores and customer premises equipment we specify, supply and operate the kit as part of a managed network rather than shipping boxes. That is a deliberate choice: the equipment is not the hard part, and a radio without spectrum, a core, a survey and someone watching it is an expensive paperweight.
Not sure what your site needs?
Tell us about the site and what has to connect. We will tell you what the equipment list looks like, and whether you would be better off buying it or renting it.