A private 5G network box that can work even in remote locations

Developed by a startup funded by IIITB COMET Foundation, the customisable Private 5G Box works similar to a public mobile network and can be accessed by inserting private sim cards into mobile sets

Even to this day, communication from a disaster site or a mine field remains a problem despite advancements in technology as public mobile networks are weak in remote areas. To address this problem, a startup has come up with ‘Private 5G Box’, a tailor-made portable solution for enterprises seeking to deploy secure and private 5G networks. 

The start-up — Mantiswave Networks Private Limited — is funded by the International Institute of Information Technology Bangalore (IIITB) COMET Foundation.

The customisable Private 5G Box works similar to a public mobile network and can be accessed by inserting private sim cards into mobile sets. When set up, Private 5G Box provides network coverage up to 500 meters. It also allows users to make cross network calls. 

“When a disaster strikes and network is completely down, this box can be taken to the disaster site to set up network and manage the disaster. Both voice and video calls can be made with this network,” said Prem Singh, Assistant Professor, IIITB. The box will have similar applications in mines where workers often have no facilities to make calls due to network issues.

The start-up, which is co-founded by faculty members of IIITB, has developed base stations (network orchestrators) to facilitate this private communication. The compact, portable box integrates a 5G core and radio access network (RAN), which can provide instant 5G connectivity by using the base stations. It can support 5G usage in various forms, including video streaming, IoT applications, public safety, and smart industries.

“Currently, only four companies in the world are making base stations. We have developed advanced 5G base stations from scratch. Our micro base stations (5G box) have small access points, like WiFi. They can be installed on any campus, industry, or mine, and used in healthcare and logistics sector too,” said Debabrata Das, Director, IIITB. 

The Private 5G Box costs around ₹10 lakh to be deployed in a small lab or office, and around ₹20 lakh for 500-meter coverage.

Any organisation which purchases the Private 5G Box will have complete control over the data that passes through the network. They can decide where they would like to store the data.  

“The defense sector always needs a trusted network. If the base station is from another country, then we cannot be sure about its security. Since this network has been developed indigenously, it can also be used in the defence sector,” Prof. Das explained. 

Customer sites 

The Private 5G Box has already been deployed at several customer sites, including Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Dhanbad. It will soon be deployed in National Institute of Technology (NIT) Silchar and in SRM University in Chennai.  

“Recently, the defence sector took our Box for testing at one of their sites in Himachal Pradesh. We have also been invited by some mines for pilot deployment,” said Prof. Singh. 

The development of this product took around two years. The researchers continue their work on it to improve its performance and add more applications.

Published - October 25, 2024 05:36 pm IST