Private 5G pricing is opaque. Vendors rarely publish list prices, and "contact us for a quote" is the standard answer. This page provides a frank breakdown of the real cost components — spectrum, RAN hardware, core software, devices, site preparation, and ongoing OpEx — with realistic ranges based on site type and scale. Numbers are in Canadian dollars unless noted.
A private 5G deployment for a 10,000 sq ft manufacturing floor costs fundamentally different amounts than one covering a 50 km² open-pit mine. The cost drivers — number of radio units, spectrum licensing, outdoor vs indoor propagation, backhaul, and integration complexity — vary by orders of magnitude across site types. Treat the ranges below as planning benchmarks, not quotes.
High-level cost ranges before the component breakdown. These reflect full deployment costs including hardware, software, site work, devices, and first-year support.
Several vendors (Celona, Nokia, Ericsson) offer private 5G as a managed service or NaaS (Network as a Service) model — monthly subscription covering hardware, software, and support. This converts CapEx to OpEx and shifts maintenance responsibility to the vendor. Typical NaaS pricing: $3,000–$20,000/month for a mid-size deployment. Useful for organizations with capital constraints or limited internal RF expertise.
A private 5G deployment has five primary capital cost components. The weight of each varies significantly by site type — spectrum cost dominates for wide-area deployments; RAN hardware dominates for large indoor deployments.
Spectrum is the most complex cost variable in a Canadian private 5G deployment. Unlike the United States, which has the CBRS (Citizens Broadband Radio Service) framework enabling enterprises to access 3.5GHz spectrum for private networks without carrier involvement, Canada does not have an equivalent framework as of 2026.
The 3500 MHz band — the global primary band for private 5G — was auctioned by ISED in 2021. The major Canadian carriers (Rogers, Bell, Telus) acquired the majority of licenses. Enterprise access to this spectrum for private 5G requires one of:
For remote industrial sites (mines, utility infrastructure in rural areas, remote ports), local ISED licensing is often achievable. For urban and suburban sites, a carrier partnership is typically required. ISED's ongoing spectrum policy work is expected to introduce more enterprise-friendly access mechanisms — monitoring the Radiocommunication Act consultation process is advisable for organizations planning multi-year private wireless deployments.
RAN hardware — the gNBs (5G base stations), antennas, mounting hardware, and associated cables — is typically the largest single CapEx component for most private 5G deployments.
The 5G core processes all control plane signalling and user plane data routing. For private deployments, the core runs on-premises (edge compute server) or as a cloud-hosted service.
Open-source 5GC implementations exist — Magma (Meta), Open5GS, free5GC — and can significantly reduce software licensing cost. However, they require significant internal RF/core engineering expertise to deploy and maintain, and typically lack enterprise support contracts. Suitable for organizations with in-house telecoms engineering capability; not recommended as a primary approach for industrial operators without a dedicated wireless team.
Every device connecting to the private 5G network requires a SIM (physical) or eSIM (software-provisioned) configured for the private network's PLMN (Public Land Mobile Network) identity. SIM management is an ongoing operational task — provisioning, deprovisioning, and profile management.
Site preparation costs are the most variable and most frequently underestimated component in a private 5G deployment. Every site is different — a new construction deployment can plan conduit and mounting from the start; a retrofit into an operating mine or port involves working around production schedules, hazardous zones, and existing infrastructure.
Private 5G has meaningful ongoing costs beyond the initial CapEx. These are frequently underestimated in initial business cases.
| OpEx Component | Typical Range | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Spectrum licensing fees | $1,000–$50,000/year | ISED annual fees for local licensing; carrier spectrum lease fees if applicable |
| Hardware maintenance and support | 10–15% of CapEx annually | Vendor support contracts for RAN and core hardware. Critical for SLA-backed uptime. |
| Core software subscription | $2,000–$15,000/month | Annual subscription for 5GC software licenses, updates, and vendor support |
| SIM management platform | $1–$5/device/month | Enterprise SIM lifecycle management; scales with device count |
| Backhaul connectivity | $500–$10,000/month | Fibre or microwave backhaul from site to internet / enterprise WAN. Remote sites may require satellite backhaul ($2,000–$15,000/month). |
| Managed service fee (if applicable) | $5,000–$30,000/month | If using a third-party to operate and monitor the network. Includes NOC, patching, incident response. |
| Internal RF/network staff | $90,000–$180,000/year (one FTE) | If managing in-house. Many organizations manage private 5G with existing network operations staff after initial training. |
| Power consumption (RAN) | $200–$2,000/month | Each indoor small cell consumes 20–60W; outdoor macro gNBs 100–500W. Scales with radio unit count. |
Private 5G vendors span from carrier-grade (Ericsson, Nokia) to enterprise-focused (Celona, Athonet) to open-source-based approaches. Price and operational complexity differ substantially.
US-based, purpose-built for enterprise and industrial private 5G. Cloud-managed, CBRS-focused (US) with expanding international coverage. Most accessible price point for mid-market deployments. Full-stack (RAN + core + orchestration).
Price tier: $$ — Most accessible for SME/mid-marketEnd-to-end private wireless platform targeting industrial and enterprise. Broader frequency band support than Celona, including sub-1GHz for large outdoor sites. Strong in mining, utilities, and ports globally.
Price tier: $$$ — Mid-market to enterpriseCarrier-grade private 5G with full 3GPP feature compliance. Strongest URLLC and network slicing implementation. Typically deployed at larger industrial scale — mining, ports, manufacturing at significant volume.
Price tier: $$$$ — Enterprise and carrier-scaleSoftware-core-focused vendor (now part of HPE). Runs on COTS hardware; can integrate with multiple RAN vendors. Flexible architecture for organizations that want to separate RAN and core procurement.
Price tier: $$$ — Enterprise, flexible architectureCompetitive pricing, strong 5G NR radio hardware. Growing private 5G enterprise focus. Solid option for manufacturing environments; expanding industrial site deployments globally.
Price tier: $$ – $$$ — Competitive mid-marketLower-cost RAN hardware, CBRS-focused. Strong in US market; some presence in Canada. Best for cost-sensitive deployments where carrier-grade feature completeness is less critical. Good for initial deployments with intent to upgrade.
Price tier: $ – $$ — Cost-focusedSingle-vendor deployments (same vendor for RAN and core) simplify integration, support, and troubleshooting — one throat to choke. Multi-vendor deployments (e.g., Baicells RAN + Athonet/HPE core) can reduce hardware cost but require more integration expertise and can complicate support when issues span the RAN-core interface.
For industrial operators without a dedicated wireless engineering team, single-vendor is generally the lower-risk approach. For organizations with RF engineering capability or a systems integrator managing the deployment, disaggregated vendor selection provides more flexibility and competitive pricing.
Understanding what pushes cost up — and what doesn't — is more useful than a number without context.
| Factor | Impact on Cost | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Remote or harsh environment | +50–200% | Ruggedized hardware, hazardous location certification, power infrastructure, logistics to remote sites |
| Outdoor vs indoor coverage | +100–300% | Outdoor macro gNBs cost 3–10x indoor small cells; civil works for towers and cabling are significant |
| Licensed spectrum requirement | +$0–$500K+ | Spectrum licensing approach (free local license vs carrier partnership vs purchased) varies enormously |
| URLLC requirements | +20–40% | Requires Standalone 5G, denser cell planning for handoff reliability, more rigorous core configuration |
| OT/SCADA integration | +$20K–$200K | Protocol translation, security architecture, testing with operational systems — complex and time-consuming |
| Multi-site deployment | −20–40% per site (at scale) | Core infrastructure, engineering, and management costs amortize across sites; hardware volume pricing applies |
| Greenfield vs retrofit | Greenfield typically 30–50% lower civil cost | Planned conduit, power, and mounting avoids retrofit disruption and change orders |
| Network redundancy requirements | +30–60% | Redundant core, backup power, dual-path backhaul — required for mission-critical operations |
A private 5G deployment for a mining operation has a fundamentally different ROI equation than one for a mid-size manufacturer. In mining, a single tele-operated haul truck removes a human from a dangerous environment and eliminates the cost of that operator's underground logistics, safety monitoring, and potential incident liability. At $500K–$2M/year in saved costs per tele-operated truck, the ROI calculation for the network is straightforward.
For smaller deployments, the ROI is typically framed around: reduced downtime from better connectivity (predictive maintenance), reduced site visits (remote monitoring), improved throughput (automation), and safety incident reduction (RTLS and geofencing). Quantifying these against the network cost is the essential step before approving a CapEx request.
A site assessment produces a deployment design with a realistic cost estimate — and the use case analysis that goes with it provides the inputs for a defensible business case.
Technical reference pages across the Private5G.ca library.
The ranges above are planning benchmarks. A site assessment produces a realistic cost model based on your actual coverage area, use cases, and existing infrastructure.