Private LTE and its application in Healthcare Organizations
Metadata:** Private LTE is a cellular network using dedicated core network servers to meet specific connectivity requirements of an individual company.
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Updated November 2026. This was first published on 10 September 2021. The idea is the same. Any number below is what the original piece said then. It is not a new count.
Key takeaways
- Metadata:** Private LTE is a cellular network using dedicated core network servers to meet specific connectivity requirements of an individual company.
- They are widely used in large corporations and government establishments.
- Private LTE allows for controlled access, user authentication, and how the network should perform.
Metadata:** Private LTE is a cellular network using dedicated core network servers to meet specific connectivity requirements of an individual company. They are widely used in large corporations and government establishments. Private LTE allows for controlled access, user authentication, and how the network should perform.
What is private LTE? #
Private LTE is a cellular network that is similar to that maintained by large communication providers. Dedicated core network servers are installed to meet specific connectivity requirements of individual companies. LTE stands for ’long term evolution?, which is a standard for wireless data transmission.
Private LTE networks are widely used in large corporations, industrial and automotive manufacturing facilities, hospitals, education institutes, logistics companies, smart cities, drones, transportation hubs, government facilities, military campuses, stadiums, and many such settings.
According to the International Data Corporation (IDC) forecast report *?Worldwide revenue attributable to the sales of private LTE/5G infrastructure will grow from $945 million in 2019 to an estimated $5.7 billion in 2024 with a 5-year compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 43.4%. This includes aggregated spending on RAN (Radio Access Network), core, and transport infrastructure.?
Since private LTE is run specifically to benefit companies, access to the network can be controlled and permitted to only authorized users. The company has control over who has access to the network, prioritization of access, deciding how the network will perform, and the areas where there should be a network and where it should be blocked.
Although there is high penetration of wireless networks and public LTE. But, they may not be suitable for many companies that require a high level of data protection and security. In such cases, private LTE has emerged as the preferred network of choice providing networks that are fixed cost and dedicated to businesses and their IoT devices. Similar to a Wi-Fi access point, a private LTE network has micro towers and small cells that replicate large public networks.
Some of the benefits of adopting private LTE are enhanced traffic flow, better information security, and save on data usage. These factors give rise to the rapidly increasing popularity of private LTE and the unique role it plays in the wireless network sector.
Who needs to deploy private networks? #
Private wireless networks are generally preferred by companies that have use cases that are not supported by public networks.
Coverage issues:** Suitable for companies located in remote locations where the public networks do not exist or where the public network is not secure. Installing your own network guarantees coverage be it indoors, campus locations, or even in mines and agricultural areas.
Usage control:** companies that need to control how the network is used, namely ? determining who is given access, how the traffic is prioritized, and how resources are used.
Capacity limitations:** When the requirement of the enterprise/company is not met due to capacity issues.
Points to consider while comparing Private LTE with Wi-Fi #
Now that we have a general understanding of private LTE networks, we shall compare Wi-Fi with private LTE.
Mobility:** While moving within a large territory, private LTE has superior network performance throughout the territory because of its handoff mechanism in cellular technology, thus eliminating call drops and disconnections. On the other hand, Wi-Fi users experience weakened network performance when the user moves from one part of the building to another since there is no mechanism to handle switching devices between access points.
Infrastructure Costs:** In the private network, the main cost is the installation of a single cell tower for fewer access points. whereas, a Wi-Fi network may require several extenders and repeaters and a large number of cables to cover a large area.
Security:** Private LTE networks offer multiple layers of security, keeping high-risk and proprietary information secure. Wi-Fi security can be compromised to some extent.
Performance:** Private LTE offers high and scalable performance with high quality and is effective where the needs are complex as the cellular network controls intrusion from external users or traffic and also allows the fine-tuning quality of service (QoS) rules. While Wi-Fi and public LTE do not have control over the traffic and thus create congestion in networks.
How can Private LTE benefit Healthcare companies? #
The private LTE network in healthcare helps serve many purposes such as uninterrupted communication among healthcare professionals, data exchange, patient monitoring services, supply logistics, data security, and more.
IoT in Healthcare:** To provide appropriate patient care, healthcare professionals use various devices and applications to monitor patient data from connected medical devices. LTE supports safely sending and receiving information from these IoT devices which allow professionals to analyze and respond in real-time.
Connected ambulances**: There are suggestions that connected ambulances and crew are crucial as they relay critical patient information collected by the use of sensors, wearables, and streaming HD videos to the hospitals. Private LTE helps establish high-performance connectivity support with on-board video and data communication enables healthcare workers to take appropriate measures en route to the hospital.
Virtual consultation:** Telehealth has grown significantly especially post COVID-19. Today most patient-doctor appointments are done virtually. Virtual consultation reduces the burden of both the care providers and patients by eliminating the need to travel. This allows healthcare providers to attend and provide their service to more patients.
Remote medication management:** One of the challenges faced by the healthcare industry is adherence to medical prescriptions. This is especially common among elderly patients who forget to take their medications. LTE can help connect patients to qualified pharmacists and carers using videos to ensure the right medication and prescription are adhered to.
Temporary Clinics:** Temporary medical facilities can be set up at various locations as the need arises for reasons such as testing, vaccination facilities, and so forth. LTE routers can help to provide stable network connections. The IT team can monitor security and fine-tune connectivity remotely through cloud platforms.
Real-time high-throughput computational processing:** MRI, CT scan, and other images require high-throughput computational processing for diagnostics. A good LTE network without latency allows for real-time transfer of data and images for analysis and diagnosis.
Data protection and HIPAA compliance:** Healthcare facilities transact with a large volume of electronic medical records. Using edge security provided by private LTE, they can deliver compliance, control real-time threats, and secure device to cloud IoT connections to meet HIPPA regulations.
Challenges in the deployment of Private LTE and solutions #
Although private LTE has gained attention among companies looking for smooth wireless connectivity for innovative use cases, the full potential of the technology can be achieved only by a strategic approach. There are many challenges in the successful setup and we shall look into a few of them.
Longsighted strategy:** No doubt companies benefit from the flexibility offered by private LTE networks. But, it is important to understand the long-term use cases and implement strategies that will fully support future needs. Having the right technology partner to design, develop, and support a high-quality private LTE strategy is crucial.
Installation challenges:** Finding the right partner to install private LTE is very important. Installation of access points requires thorough knowledge of networking, cabling, and LTE cellular technology, which is complex.
Device specifications:** The healthcare IT professionals should ensure the client devices including laptops and mobile devices should have CBRS (B48) what it can do to access the network.
Device management:** Using external device management could introduce security risks as it resides outside your private cloud. Choose the right device management solution depending on your security and compliance requirements. A private device management solution may be needed to completely manage the devices of the company from within the controlled network and data center.
Skills and resources:** The advanced radio technologies such as mmWave or Massive MIMO are complicated and engineers are yet to have a thorough understanding of this technology. The core network for slicing and other technologies will be impacted due to the lack of such skills.
Large companies including manufacturing, logistics, institutions, and healthcare facilities gain significantly by deploying private LTE. Although adding private networks to the corporate IT network architecture is a significant decision, success depends on careful planning and setup. It is important to engage early with experienced technology partners having proven solutions and deployment strategies across various use cases before switching to a private network.
Questions and answers #
Who needs to deploy private networks? #
Private wireless networks are generally preferred by companies that have use cases that are not supported by public networks. Coverage issues: Suitable for companies located in remote locations where the public networks do not exist or where the public network is not secure.
How can Private LTE benefit Healthcare companies? #
The private LTE network in healthcare helps serve many purposes such as uninterrupted communication among healthcare professionals, data exchange, patient monitoring services, supply logistics, data security, and more.