Azure Private MEC Delivers Customer Cell Networks

• Private cellular networks may be required in scenarios such as manufacturing automation, digital kiosks, healthcare monitoring, retail sites, and refineries, including indoor and outdoor environments.
• Azure private MEC allows customers to deploy private cellular networks using technologies such as 5G.
• It is a solution (not a single service) that comprises Azure services, management capabilities, edge hardware, and partner offerings which must be properly orchestrated.

Azure private MEC (multi-access edge compute) could speed and simplify deployment of private cellular networks, although it requires several hardware and software components that span offerings from Microsoft and its partners.

Why Private Cellular?

Wireless networking is critical for many customer scenarios where Wi-Fi connectivity is not sufficient due to its limited range. These scenarios include environments and devices such as:

• Manufacturing automation, such as robots and sensors
• Oil, gas, and mining facilities,