The industrial revolution you didn’t see coming — powered by private 5G

Across industries and continents, a new era of connectivity is quietly transforming how industrial leaders operate.

Picture it: Aeronautical engineers in Munich, Detroit and Bangalore co-develop a digital twin of a jet engine by iterating in real time across cloud platforms. Meanwhile, a frontline technician at a remote Chilean mining site dons an augmented-reality headset and receives live guidance from a specialist in the UK to resolve a critical fault in a conveyor belt.

And above a sprawling Californian wind farm, autonomous drones inspect turbine blades, streaming high-resolution diagnostics to centralized AI systems that flag anomalies such as cracks, erosion, lightning damage and delamination before they become failures.

This shift is unfolding rapidly, but only in environments with resilient, secure connectivity engineered for industrial-grade performance.

Private 5G is at the heart of this connectivity revolution. With ultralow latency, high throughput, reliable coverage and embedded security, it provides the industrial sector with the connectivity backbone it needs to deploy edge AI, collaborate in real time and operate autonomous systems with confidence and at scale.

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Why traditional connectivity falls short

Despite impressive advances in wireless technology over the past few decades, many organizations in the industrial sector struggle to maintain reliable connectivity and mobility across complex, often unforgiving environments. Dense metal structures, electromagnetic interference and physical obstructions often make these settings hostile to radio-frequency transmissions. This can leave users frustrated and lead to costly machine downtime.

But that’s not all. Industrial connectivity must also now support:

• AI and machine-learning applications that rely on the ultrafast transfer of terabytes of data
• High-density sensor and device deployments that enable smart factory ecosystems and real-time operational intelligence
• Around-the-clock operations, especially in industries like printing, where even short spells of downtime can erode profitability
• Ambitious cost-efficiency and sustainability targets, including net-zero goals that hinge on optimized digital infrastructure

Legacy connectivity systems simply weren’t built for this level of complexity, speed and strategic impact.

Private 5G: Connecting the industrial future

Private 5G has emerged as a smart choice for industrial operators seeking to overcome their persistent connectivity woes. It redefines what wireless can do, and delivers where traditional connectivity falls short.

In short, it offers a superior wireless solution that can be relied on to orchestrate complex production environments. Here’s what sets private 5G apart:

Edge-computing integration

By supporting the processing of data closer to the source, private 5G solutions significantly reduce latency and improve operational efficiency for time-sensitive applications. This also helps filter information to be sent to device-management platforms, minimizing backhaul traffic.

In action: In automotive manufacturing, edge computing paired with private 5G is often used to inspect welds and paint quality mid-process to catch defects early on.

Network slicing technology

Private 5G solutions enable the segmentation of network traffic by device or application type. Industrial operators can therefore enforce a more granular quality-of-service policy while benefiting from additional security. Critical workloads are prioritized, so performance never falters when it matters most.

In action: Power utilities frequently enable network slicing to protect the network data and communications generated by a supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) system from congestion during peak demand.

Robust security

Private 5G networks can be deployed securely behind enterprise firewalls, integrating with existing network access-control systems to encrypt and protect data and enforce policies.

In action: Pharmaceutical manufacturers often secure real-time batch telemetry and lab results behind their enterprise firewalls using private 5G. These networks integrate with existing access controls to encrypt data and enforce policy compliance to protect proprietary and regulated information.

Global connectivity and roaming

SIM and eSIM technology, along with public–private roaming capabilities, allows devices to move seamlessly between on-site and off-site locations.

In action: Defense contractors increasingly rely on roaming-enabled sensors to track aircraft components across global facilities. Thanks to eSIM and SIM technology and public–private roaming, private 5G ensures seamless transitions between on-site and off-site environments to maintain visibility across borders.

Scalability and flexibility

Modern private 5G networks are designed to scale easily to match demand and use cases, allowing for modular additions and software upgrades to increase capacity as needed.

In action: Major port terminals initially deploy private 5G networks to connect automated guided vehicles on a single dock. When the terminal operations expand to a new dock, with the need to connect thousands of additional IoT sensors and real-time video feeds, the network scales capacity simply by activating new software licenses in the core and adding new radio units — all without taking the existing operational network offline.

IT/OT convergence

Private 5G connects with existing enterprise local area networks and integrates IT and OT systems to deliver centralized control and visibility.

In action: At chemical processing sites, you might find enterprise resource planning and process-control data flowing into a unified dashboard. Plant managers gain real-time visibility into key production performance indicators, inventory levels and equipment status, without latency or data fragmentation.

AI-powered operations (AIOps)

Private 5G simplifies network management through automation, predictive monitoring and self-healing capabilities, while machine learning supports rapid troubleshooting and root-cause analysis.

In action: Distribution centers often use private 5G with AIOps to self-heal connectivity issues affecting autonomous forklifts. These networks simplify management through automation, predictive monitoring and machine learning, which accelerates root-cause analysis and keeps downtime to a minimum.

What to look for in a private 5G partner

When you’re evaluating private 5G providers, look for capabilities that align with your operational, financial and strategic goals.

Deployment flexibility — whether on-premises, hybrid or cloud-managed — is vital to ensuring the solution can adapt to different infrastructure needs. Integration with edge computing and AI workloads is also critical for real-time decision-making.

On the commercial side, consider providers that offer varied financial models — including as-a-service options, capex and opex blends, or pu blic–private partnerships — to accommodate budget constraints and reduce your upfront investment risk.

Comprehensive managed services, including full-time monitoring and maintenance, can lighten your operational burden and support your organization’s long-term reliability. Finally, strong partnerships with leading equipment manufacturers, cloud platforms and device manufacturers signal a provider’s ability to deliver integrated, future-ready solutions.

Join the revolution and see the ROI

NTT DATA is a leader in the convergence of edge AI and private 5G, with a comprehensive portfolio of services and solutions designed to optimize industrial operations, deliver efficiency and facilitate predictive maintenance. We were named a Visionary in the 2025 Gartner® Magic Quadrant™ for 4G and 5G Private Mobile Network Services.*

We’ve delivered measurable results through private 5G deployments across sectors. For example, we have partnered with chemical manufacturer LyondellBasell to accelerate their Industry 4.0 adoption and modernize connectivity across their global manufacturing footprint.

Together, we designed and deployed a secure, agile private 5G network that delivers pervasive coverage, real-time data visibility and improved safety. We tailored the solution to meet regulatory requirements across geographies while enabling push-to-talk emergency communications, outdoor productivity and more stringent safety measures, among other use cases.

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* Gartner, Magic Quadrant for 4G and 5G Private Mobile Network Services, Sylvain Fabre, Peter Liu, et al., 6 January 2025 GARTNER is a registered trademark and service mark of Gartner, Inc. and/or its affiliates in the U.S. and internationally, and MAGIC QUADRANT is a registered trademark of Gartner, Inc. and/or its affiliates and are used herein with permission. All rights reserved.

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