Finland’s transport and communications authority argued mid-band spectrum is needed to extend the usability of private networks, a sector it noted is growing more slowly than it might due to cost and lack of awareness.

The Finnish Transport and Communications Agency (Traficom) stated its research among private network users and providers showed growing use by industry, ports and healthcare, as organisations seek to employ the security, performance and reliability of the set-ups in broader digitalisation moves.

But it noted factors including “long sales cycles, a lack of awareness” of the benefits and “challenges related to availability of terminal equipment” as points of friction in wider adoption of private networks.

Traficom noted deployments in Finland involve a mix of individual moves by businesses and partnerships with operators, which is the common approach of the private network segment as a whole.

The authority currently assigns frequencies from 2,300MHz to 2,320MHz and 24.25GHz to 25.1GHz to run private 4G and 5G networks, but argued spectrum in the 2GHz to 7GHz range would provide “larger coverage areas, and sufficient capacity and data rates”.

Traficom explained it is not alone in identifying such a need, with bodies working on international spectrum requirements also focusing on private networks, though argued such considerations should be at the heart of future European strategies, particularly those involving 6G.

The authority expects the broader benefits of 5G in private networks mean it will ultimately become the more common technology relative to 4G, bringing “new opportunities” for the approach.