A Private 5G Design Checklist for Industrial and Government Sites

Private 5G projects succeed or fail on requirements clarity. Before vendor demonstrations, design teams should be able to answer the following.

• Which use cases, with what latency, throughput, reliability and mobility requirements?
• What spectrum is available, under which licensing model, and with what interference risk?
• Indoor, outdoor or both — and what is the RF environment (metal, high ceilings, hazardous areas)?
• Standalone core on site, hybrid, or operator slice — and what happens if the WAN fails?
• Which devices and CPEs, with which bands and features (RedCap, URLLC, positioning)?
• How does the network integrate with enterprise IT, OT networks and identity systems?
• What are the security and data sovereignty requirements?
• Who operates it — internal team, operator, integrator — with what SLA?
• How will acceptance be measured?
• What is the growth path — more sites, more use cases, more capacity?
• What skills does the internal team need before, during and after deployment?
• What is the total cost of ownership over five years, not just the capex?

Teams that work through these questions in a structured design workshop consistently make better vendor decisions and avoid expensive redesigns after deployment.