Geng, J.
, Montgomery, K.
, Hany, M.
and Candell, R.
(2026),
Software-based 5G Industrial Wireless Private Networks: Challenges and Opportunities for Mission-Critical and Time-Sensitive Applications, Technical Note (NIST TN), National Institute of Standards and Technology, Gaithersburg, MD, [online], https://doi.org/10.6028/NIST.TN.2363, https://tsapps.nist.gov/publication/get_pdf.cfm?pub_id=960946
(Accessed February 13, 2026)
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Software-based 5G Industrial Wireless Private Networks: Challenges and Opportunities for Mission-Critical and Time-Sensitive Applications
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Abstract
There is a growing interest in the industrial wireless community to utilize wireless communications for industrial applications. Among different wireless technologies, 5G technology offers remarkable architectural flexibility and is designed to accommodate various types of applications, making it an excellent solution for Industry 4.0 applications and beyond. Especially when latency and reliability are major concerns for industrial wireless, the 5G Ultra-Reliable Low Latency Communications (URLLC) service ensures the ability to support industrial control and mission-critical applications. Among different next-generational private network implementations, software-based private 5G networks have emerged as a promising candidate for industrial use cases, providing advantages such as open-source code, reduced dependency on proprietary infrastructure, and lower deployment costs. However, the limitations of computing hardware, complex management and configuration processes, alignment with industrial communication requirements, and the difficulty of evaluating performance in harsh industrial environments all present significant challenges in the adoption of software-based 5G deployments. In this report, our objective is to perform a technology analysis of software-based 5G networks for industrial applications, focusing primarily on the aspects of technology adoption difficulties, performance compliance, industry expectations, network measurements, and performance evaluation. In addition, we present results from a series of interviews with stakeholders in the industrial community to better understand their needs. We highlight key gaps and expectations for 5G adoption according to their feedback. Our objective with this report is to provide a unified document that supports 5G and beyond technologies for mission-critical and time-sensitive applications. We identify and discuss critical challenges, missing elements, and future opportunities based on our experimental experience with 5G-integrated testbeds, real-world performance evaluation, and feedback from the industrial community.Citation
Technical Note (NIST TN) - 2363
Report Number
2363
NIST Pub Series
Pub Type
NIST Pubs
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Keywords
5G, 6G, software-based networking, vRAN, industrial wireless
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Created February 4, 2026