The cash-cow cloud company Amazon has launched a service to help companies build 5G networks. It was available as a preview last year but is now available to all AWS customers. US East and West regions soon.“The 4G LTE network today, and the 5G network coming soon, deliver consistent, predictable throughput with low latency.

AWS provides all the software and APIs that companies need to develop their private mobile network by ordering hardware and SIM cards directly. With the AWS Management Console, users specify where to build their network and their required capacity. Once the small-cell radio modules are activated, AWS automates the setup and deployment of the network.

The AWS-managed network infrastructure is also compatible with other AWS services, including Identity and Access Management, which allows IT to control how and what devices can access the network.AWS Private 5G also connects to Amazon's CloudWatch observability service, which provides insights into network health, among other useful data points.

Each radio unit AWS installs costs $10 per hour, with speeds of 150 Mbps across up to 100 SIM cards. The company will also charge for all data that is transferred to the internet at Amazon's usual EC2 rates. As a result, Amazon is offering industries - such as smart factories or other sites that require high bandwidth - instant, localized 5G but shoehorning them onto its sticky cloud infrastructure with its usual charges.

The 5G network will transform many industries, as it will lay the foundation for robotics and self-driving cars, as well as virtual reality and more. However, public 5G networks, which most consumers with 5G-enabled devices rely on, are limited in coverage and have limited bandwidth. As a result, even though companies' premises are within range of the network, they have little control over it.

Thus, private 5G networks are an appealing proposition for enterprises with mission-critical applications that require low-latency data transfers 24 hours a day. The AWS Private 5G service uses Citizen Broadband Radio Service, which is a 3.5 GHz frequency band that was previously reserved for the Department of Defense but has been allowed for commercial use by the FCC in early 2020.

The update opened CBRS up to multiple businesses, including those building 5G services. It is also expected that key Spectrum Access System administrators will be responsible for managing wireless communication. In the CBRS band, protecting high-priority users.

Devices like Google, Sony, CommScope, Federated Wireless, Key Bridge Wireless, and Amdocs can be authorized by SAS administrators. The new AWS Private 5G service integrates seamlessly into SAS administration — AWS takes on all interference and spectrum access troubleshooting responsibilities on behalf of the customer.

The new Amazon 5G service only supports 4G LTE, making it a misnomer. Two years ago, the OnGo Alliance released its 5G specifications for CBRS, and Samsung Electronics America and Kajeet partnered to set up a private 5G network on CBRS.

The term "AWS Private 5G" may be a nod to what it's built to support in the future, but the current branding may cause some consternation among interested parties who are looking to deploy local 5G systems today.