Podcast Link: https://em360tech.com/podcasts/how-5g-edge-computing-power-future-private-networks
Private 5G at the Edge: A Pragmatic Blueprint for CIOs is a two-part series exploring how enterprise leaders can turn the promise of 5G and edge computing into operational reality. As industries move toward real-time decisioning, local data processing, and stricter control requirements, CIOs face a complex balance of performance, sovereignty, and scalability. This series unpacks both sides of that challenge — first, understanding when and why private 5G makes business sense, and then, how to design an open, future-ready architecture built for longevity and control.
Part 2: Building the Right Architecture for Longevity and Control
In Part 1, we explored how private 5G and edge computing redefine enterprise control, closing the gap between where data is created and where it’s used. We looked at why user plane function (UPF) placement has become the hidden lever for performance and data sovereignty, and how CIOs can identify the use cases where latency, privacy, and continuity make a local architecture worth the investment.
Those insights lead to a natural next step: once you’ve confirmed that a use case truly demands private 5G with edge capabilities, it’s time to build a platform that can evolve, one designed for openness, adaptability, and long-term control.
Open RAN and multi-vendor first
Design for Open RAN interfaces and multi-vendor architecture. That widens your hardware choices and limits lock-in, which matters as silicon, radio, and core options keep improving. Radisys’ open approach speaks to this need for choice without forcing a single stack.
Hardware layer: match silicon to constraints
● AI-heavy analytics or vision: general-purpose CPU plus GPU acceleration.
● Power-constrained or compact sites: efficient small-cell and radio options.
● Ruggedized deployments: components designed for heat, dust, and vibration.
The goal is sustained performance at the lowest operational burden.
Deployment model: place compute where it earns its keep
● On-prem for strict control and lowest possible latency.
● Private cloud for pooling across sites with tight access policies.
● Public cloud for management planes and bursting, not hot paths.
● Keep data-plane decisions separate from control-plane convenience. Put the time-sensitive work close to the workload.
Integration layer: add network intelligence early
The RAN Intelligent Controller (RIC) runs small, targeted apps that make the network smarter. Micro-apps can prioritize traffic for safety systems, guarantee bandwidth for critical video, or re-balance radio resources without manual change tickets. Treat this as part of 5G infrastructure management, not an afterthought.
What good looks like from day one
● Interoperability validated across radio, core, and edge runtimes.
● Observability for device, radio, core, and app layers with shared dashboards.
● Clear lifecycle management for updates, xApps/rApps, and policy changes.
From Pilot to Production — A Practical Roadmap for CIOs
Keep momentum by proving value fast and building on firm ground.
1) Define the use case
Choose a single, high-impact workflow that exposes the pain of today. A vision-based quality check, a time-critical alert path, or a mobile operations zone are all valid. Write the success criteria in operational terms.
2) Run a controlled pilot
Stand up a limited footprint with local UPF. Validate latency under load, packet loss, jitter, and failover behavior. Include security and compliance checks so you are not re-testing later. Measure against the baseline and record the operator steps needed to keep it healthy.
3) Establish governance
Integrate the new domain into IT service management, monitoring, and the SOC. Automate identity and access for network functions. Document data flows for auditors. Treat your private 5G like any other production-grade platform.
4) Scale intelligently
Add sites with automation for provisioning, policy, and firmware. Use analytics to plan capacity and predict hotspots. Tie service levels to business KPIs, not just network counters. This is how you move from a technology trial to a dependable service.
Partnerships matter here. Radisys’ work across partners and sectors, including the Lockheed Martin examples discussed on the podcast, shows how multi-party delivery can handle both ad-hoc and permanent networks. The same model applies in manufacturing, logistics, and healthcare. Build with people who understand your constraints and can prove it in the pilot.
Keep an eye on 6G readiness and the role of satellite for remote sites. Hybrid terrestrial-satellite paths are advancing, and scheduling can be tuned for higher latency links. What you design now should accommodate those options without a ground-up rebuild. That is genuine telecom innovation put to work for the enterprise.
Final Thoughts: Control Is the Real Currency of Connectivity
Real-time creates winners and laggards. The organizations that own their latency budgets, protect their data paths, and shape their network policies will move faster with fewer surprises.
Private 5G networks with local edge computing turn that ambition into an operating model: UPF placement provides speed and sovereignty without trading away assurance. The lesson is simple. Design for control today and you inherit a cleaner path to tomorrow’s multi-site, multi-vendor, multi-cloud reality.
If this blueprint maps to the problems on your desk, listen to Radisys unpack how we are delivering it in the latest Tech Transformed conversation on EM360Tech. It is a grounded look at what works, where it breaks, and how to scale with confidence.
Enterprises are increasingly working with partners experienced in open private 5G deployments to accelerate pilot success. Radisys brings that experience to the table, helping organizations design, test, and scale proofs of concept that deliver measurable value on their own terms. Private networks can seem daunting, from architecture choices to integration and governance. But with the right expertise and partners, the path becomes clear. Radisys’ collaborative approach and deep Open 5G experience help enterprises move from concept to confidence, proving value early and scaling where it matters most.
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