25 Mar Private 5G Deployment Using the Teltonika RUTX50 5G Router on an N77 Standalone Network
Private 5G Deployment Using the Teltonika RUTX50 5G Router on an N77 Standalone Network
Overview
Requirements:
- Demonstrate services on a private 5G standalone network
- Deploy a Teltonika RUTX50 router to provide a portable Wi-Fi connectivity hub
- Validate real-world throughput and connectivity performance
Challenges:
- Network operated on Ofcom shared access spectrum (N77 band)
- SIM cards were not issued by a traditional mobile network operator
- Router connected to the network but delivered extremely low throughput
- Cause of the issue was initially unclear
Solution:
- Side-by-side testing with another RUTX50 unit
- Identification of a hardware revision difference
- Replacement device supplied by IT AND GENERAL
- Full expected throughput restored
Andrew Thomas, Private 5G Consultant:
I’ve worked in the mobile industry for over 35 years with operators, handset vendors and research organisations. I’m currently working with Wilsonconnectivity and Zinwave in Cambridge exploring 5G Private Networks.
When developing a private 5G network you need to ensure the device, SIM, and band n77 are all configured correctly, when it doesn’t work as expected you need support to help diagnose it correctly.
Private 5G
A private 5G N77 (3300-4200 MHz) is a dedicated cellular infrastructure operating independently of public 4G/5G networks. Common Applications are: Industrial automation (IoT/sensors), Logistics and warehousing, Private secure communications for mining or ports.
Andrew Thomas is a telecommunications consultant with more than 35 years of experience in the mobile industry, having worked with network operators, device manufacturers, operating system vendors, and research organisations.
In recent years he has been involved in private 5G deployments across the UK, including projects connected to universities and government innovation programmes. His work focuses on how devices connect to private networks and how those networks support real-world services.
For this project, Andrew was building a private 5G network in Cambridge designed to test how devices connect and perform within a standalone private network environment. The network operated using Ofcom shared access spectrum in the N77 band, independent of traditional mobile network operators.
Mario understood that what I was doing wasn’t a standard deployment. I explained the testing we’d done and he was happy to review the evidence and arrange a replacement unit.
Investigating the performance Issue
Andrew deployed a Teltonika RUTX50 5G router to provide a portable connectivity hub capable of creating a local Wi-Fi network backed by private 5G connectivity.
The router successfully connected to the network, but performance was far below expectations. While other devices on the network achieved speeds of around 300 Mbps downlink, the router delivered only around 5 kilobits per second.
Further testing with the manufacturer of the 5G radio equipment included comparing Andrew’s router with another RUTX50 unit purchased for testing. The second router achieved the expected throughput, and the issue was ultimately traced to a difference in hardware revision between the two devices.
Andrew shared these findings with IT AND GENERAL to determine the next step.
Supporting real-world private 5G deployments
With the replacement device installed, Andrew was able to achieve the expected performance from the Teltonika RUTX50, reaching around 300 Mbps downlink throughput on the private 5G network.
The router now forms part of his ongoing private 5G testing environment in Cambridge, supporting demonstrations and real-world experimentation with new connectivity use cases. With IT AND GENERAL available to assist when needed, Andrew can continue exploring private network deployments with confidence.