04 Sep 2024
The ability to stand up a temporary network powered by 5G is transforming industries like construction, retail, public safety and events across Australia.
Imagine you’re tasked with setting up a network at a construction site with no fixed infrastructure, or are the manager of a pop-up retail store. You could be hosting an event at a greenfield site, or need to connect at moving locations like a mobile health clinic, or road and rail construction.
Pop-up services require temporary connectivity that is secure and easy to deploy, and that can be monitored and managed from anywhere.
This is where 5G comes in. As industries like construction, retail, public safety, healthcare and events become increasingly dependent on fast, flexible connectivity, 5G offers a game-changing solution. 5G networks allow projects to proceed without the cost of provisioning another wired line and without the security risks of shared network access.
In this article, you’ll learn how to leverage 5G technology to create efficient, cost-effective temporary networks tailored to your industry.
How Australian industries are using 5G temporary networks
There is no need to provide permanent WANs in temporary locations.The transformative potential of 5G is already being realised across various sectors in Australia. Here’s how temporary networks are making an impact.
1. Construction
The construction industry has been one of the early adopters of 5G temporary networking. Many construction sites are located where there is no wired infrastructure readily available and to yet they need day 1 connectivity to operate efficiently and safely. Even where wired infrastructure could be accessed, wireless eliminates the headache of locating cables out of harm's way to avoid accidental dig ups and damage.
Affordable Agile Day 1 Connectivity
This is the No.1 reason that temporary 5G networks are adopted in the construction industry. For greenfield sites, sites located on the outskirts of cities, for road and rail construction, and for large-scale projects, NBN is often unavailable or will take months to arrive.
MobileCorp has deployed 5G for primary connectivity to office demountables at the Western Sydney Airport Badgerys Creek construction site, a hospital in Brisbane, a correctional facility in regional Victoria, and for highway construction offices in Western Australia. You can read about how 5G is used at the construction sites of one multi-national client in the case study below.
Reliable Collaboration
Working on a construction project typically involves collaboration between a large variety of stakeholders. To avoid delays, it’s critical that everyone stays up-to-date on any changes and has access to documentation at the right time. The speed that 5G provides will enable this level of communication and document-sharing to occur even on mobile devices, which is an added convenience.
Workplace Safety
5G can enable highly accurate asset tracking, whether it be on site equipment or personnel. Connecting to a reliable 5G wireless network can enable data processing at the edge to track temperature and air quality. A lone worker safety button can be used to alert site managers in case of an emergency and accurately convey a worker's location for immediate help. Wearable sensors can guide workers onsite to avoid hazardous zones and can also alert management if workplace safety clothing is not being worn.
Site Surveillance
Adequate monitoring of large construction sites requires cameras that are supported by low-latency connectivity. 4G has a latency rate of 200 milliseconds, LTE 15-50ms, whereas 5G offers 1ms. This fast response time can ensure that the data collected in real-time from sensors and cameras is as accurate and timely as possible. This is key when it comes to detecting security breaches or hazards on-site. Cloud management allows video viewing from anywhere.
Realtime Data Transfer
Taylor Construction were one of the first companies in the world to utilise 5G for onsite data visualisation. Using Microsoft HoloLens mixed-reality smart glasses, Taylor employees onsite can render a virtual model of the building or elements of the construction process such as holographic structural steel, framing, or electrical schematics. The high bandwidth of 5G also allows the data-heavy transference of digital plans and drawings to be viewed on mobile devices onsite.
Western Sydney Airport construction at Badgerys Creek NSW
2. Retail
The retail industry has been quick to adopt 5G especially for business continuity and also for temporary networks.
Pop-Up Stores
Obviously pop-up networks work brilliantly for pop up stores. Here the main challenge is needing the network to be reliable and secure enough to handle POS transactions, while also being simple to deploy, and inexpensive enough to be deployed for a short period of time. A 5G temporary network has the ability to create secure broadband connections to make Wi-Fi available, and to support POS anywhere, anytime. It is incredibly simple for a non-tech person to deploy and compared to wired infrastructure is very cheap.
Image Credit: Pophub.com.au
Store-within-a-store
Think all those concessions inside a department store like David Jones. 5G allows companies to bring their own network. 5G can let you spin up your own network, separate from the host store and still protect important customer and company data providing peace of mind for both the big-box store and the smaller enterprise. Your IT department can also remotely monitor WAN conditions and data usage at each location — saving money and fixing issues much more quickly.
Kiosks
Kiosks are being utilised in new use cases as a means to optimise customer experience through speed and convenience. Many kiosks also accept credit card payments, which is challenging for IT teams that need to move the kiosks intermittently, protect cardholder data, and remotely manage connectivity. 5G routers with embedded cellular modem provide a private air-gapped network to protect customers' payment data, while cloud access allows remote troubleshooting and reduced truck rolls.
3. Public Safety
Temporary 5G networks are being used by local government authorities, emergency services, and healthcare providers who need to quickly establish a response to evolving public safety situations.
Emergency Response Centres
Temporary networks can be quickly deployed for command posts, search and rescue services, SES management, evacuation centres, and emergency shelter centres.
On the 1st of January 2020. 1,500 holiday makers and locals were evacuated from the tiny Victorian hamlet of Mallacoota to escape a raging bushfire sparked by a lightening strike. The evacuees were rescued off the beach by a navy frigate and helicopters and transported to a temporary processing centre near the port of Hastings, 20 hours sailing time south.
Cradlepoint routers were quickly dispatched to provide a temporary mobile network. With cellular internet access, authorities were able to account for and process people swiftly. . Evacuees were also given access to Wi-Fi so they could let family and friends know they had made it to safety.
Blog: Mallacoota bushfire evacuation showed value of Cradlepoint pop-up network
Image: Bushfire evacuation centre, Hastings
Crowd Control
5G networks connections can make large events safer for participants and audiences by enabling real time analysis of live images from mobile cameras. This solution is already being trialled in Australia by the Sydney Olympic Park Authority. Using feeds from cameras around the precinct, management can analyse the feed in real time and take appropriate safety measures. During large events which finish at a set time such as concerts and sports matches, the Authority can
- monitor crowd flow
- spot patrons in distress,
- identify trouble incidents
- deploy crowd barriers
- funnel patrons in a particular direction
- prevent patrons from entering an over-crowded Olympic Park station
Healthcare testing or vaccination centres
The advent of pop-up Covid testing centres were some of the first real- world examples of temporary cellular networks in use, and highlighted the agility of the wireless network. The ability to be able to capture accurate patient records and test results from the field in real time enabled authorities to understand the scope of the pandemic spread, capture an accurate record of case numbers, and manage the healthcare response.
4. Events
Whether its a SuperCar event on the Gold Coast, a community fun run, the local farmers' market, a music festival or a concert at a vineyard, temporary mobile networks are enabling improved customer experience and organiser efficiencies.
Entry gates and ticketing
Ticketek CTO, Matthew Coutts, envisages a time when he will be able to use 5G pop-up to open up an entry gate with ticketing facilities wherever he wants one. A case in point was the Supercars event. There are only a limited number of entry points around the 3km circuit and these can become bottlenecks for spectators at busy times of the day. One of the main barriers to more gates is the requirement to build wired network infrastructure.
"We need a data service wherever box offices happen to be or wherever gates where you get your ticket validated happen to be."
Mobile Browsing
The 2024 Taylor Swift Era's tour and the Paris Olympics both smashed mobile data usage records. Australian Swifties consumed data like no other crowd in Australian history. Her Melbourne concerts in February 2024, were each attended by 96,000 fans - her largest crowd ever. At each concert fans used an average of 15TB of data. At the subsequent Sydney concerts, Telstra had to bring in COWs to provide additional bandwidth inside the stadium. Temporary 5G networks allow event organisers to spin up extra bandwidth to accommodate data spikes.
At large events, 5G provides the bandwidth needed to support thousands of devices simultaneously, ensuring that attendees can share content, make purchases, and access event information without any lag. This technology is particularly beneficial for enhancing the overall experience by enabling features like live social media feeds, mobile app interactions, and even virtual reality (VR) activations
Blog: Taylor Swift and Paris Olympics smash mobile data records
Taylor Swift Eras Tour at Wembley Stadium 2024. Image Credit: EE, part of British Telecom
Additional bandwidth for critical traffic
A temporary 5G network offers the ability to separate out critical traffic from general internet access. At events this could be PCI payments data, or emergency services comms. Marine Rescue NSW uses the Telstra LANEs product to prioritise communications with its volunteers and rescue vessels when there are large events congesting the 5G network such as during New Year's Eve celebrations or surf carnivals.
5. Community Services
Temporary mobile networks support connected communities and can help to bring the digital divide by taking internet access to the people.
Connected Communities
There are many areas in Australia - including within metropolitan areas - without reliable wired communications infrastructure. Wireless 5G WANs can extend digital reach quickly and inexpensively compared to a fibre NBN alternative. Consider deploying a 5G connection to a community centre, sporting field, council depot or SES centre to enhance council communications.Public Equity Digital Access
A fundamental responsibility of government is to ensure all citizens receive equal access to communications technology. 1 in 4 people in Australia are still digitally excluded (ADII, 2021) resulting in negative social outcomes for communities. LGAs have a role to play in the digital divide with initiatives with options including- free WiFi for citizens
- mobile broadband hotspots
- connected neighbourhood technology hubs
- mobile connected libraries
- mobile connected school rooms
- In the USA we have seen school buses equipped with a temporary network and driven to neighbourhoods as a homework hub
Sacramento Regional Transit District buses provide digital access to close the Homework Gap. Image Credit: Cradlepoint
Six practical considerations for using 5G for your temporary network
Implementing 5G for temporary networks involves several key considerations to ensure a smooth and effective deployment. Here’s what you need to keep in mind:
1. Infrastructure and Equipment Requirements
To set up a 5G network, you’ll need compatible equipment such as 5G routers and/or adapter. Depending on your specific use case—whether it’s a pop-up store, a festival, or a trade show—you might require portable 5G-enabled devices that can be quickly deployed and moved as needed. Ensure you select an enterprise-grade 5G router. There are many routers out there and you get what you pay for. Enterprise-grade routers and adapters will have robust security built-in and cloud management that provides you with visibility of your network performance.
2. Coverage and Network Availability
Before committing to 5G, it’s crucial to assess the coverage in your desired locations. While 5G coverage is expanding rapidly across Australia, it’s still more likely to be available in urban areas. If your event or pop-up is in a remote location, you’ll need to verify that sufficient mobile signal is available.
3. Cost Considerations
A 5G temporary network will be significantly less expensive to deploy than a wired alternative. The main costs are in the hardware with a 5G enterprise-grade router or adapter ranging from $3000-$5,000 AUD including licensing. Depending on the location, an external antenna and mast may also be required adding around $750 and $300 respectively. Add in a Telstra enterprise wireless plan which has options from 100MB to 1TB per month. Most customers will opt for 50GB at $50 per month with the data top-ups available.
4. Security and Data Management
With the increased connectivity that 5G offers comes the need for enhanced security measures. Implementing 5G networks means managing more data, which requires robust security protocols to protect sensitive information, especially in environments like retail where payment data is handled. Enterprise grade 5G adapters and routers will have this security built-in. Less expensive consumer grade hardware will not.
5. Support and Cloud Management
Deployment of a 5G temporary is simple and quick, however some experience may be needed to optimise signal strength. Similarly, an enterprise-grade solution will include a cloud management portal providing visibility of devices and cellular health. Working with a managed service provider that offers 5G expertise and support - like MobileCorp - can help smooth the deployment, and provide 24/7 network monitoring and troubleshooting to ensure any issues are quickly resolved.
6. Future-Proofing Your Investment
5G is still evolving, and as it does, new capabilities and use cases emerge. Investing in appropriate market-leading hardware and software will ensure you have scalable and upgradable 5G solutions to ensure your network remains relevant and effective as the technology advances.
MobileCorp recommends Cradlepoint - Ericsson Enterprise Wireless as market leaders in 5G temporary network solutions
MobileCorp recommends Ericsson Enterprise Wireless - formally known as Cradlepoint - for enterprise-grade WWAN solutions that power instant networks anytime, anywhere.
Ericsson's enterprise wireless network solutions allow companies to:
- instantly set up flexible, secure WAN connectivity and cast Wi-Fi on the spot through plug-and-play LTE routers—without sending IT professionals on-site.
- centrally control security and protect all types of data through one branch networking solution—including a firewall, easy VPN setup, content filtering, and IPS/IDS.
- allow enterprises to scale faster by removing speed-to-deployment and flexibility barriers.
- allow network management, and troubleshooting without a truck roll, creating operational efficiencies and providing extra data and short-term need connectivity.
- includes insights for business intelligence
- is delivered as a subscription and includes continuous software updates, a limited lifetime warranty, and daily 24-hour enterprise support
So what's next?
If you’re planning your next event, pop-up, or temporary network setup, embracing 5G could be the key to delivering a seamless and engaging experience.
Reach out to MobileCorp if you would like to explore whether 5G is viable as a temporary network at your location.
About MobileCorp
MobileCorp is an enterprise ICT solutions company with a mission to deliver our customers a communications technology edge. We provide Managed Mobility Services, Enterprise Mobility Management, Complex Data and IP Networks, and Unified Communication solutions. We have a proven track record providing managed services for Australian enterprise and business, and we are a Telstra Platinum Partner.
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