I’m back from the 5G‑OT Alliance Summit in Miami, where December felt more like July sneaking in with a fake ID. The heat outside was hard to ignore, but inside the conversations were even hotter, focused squarely on how industrial buyers are sizing up P5G device companies. The mood was less about abstract hype and more about practical expectations: enterprises want compatible devices that integrate seamlessly into operations, and they expect vendors to prove their value in real deployments. That shift in perspective framed the entire summit, setting the stage for how hardware makers, service providers, and security specialists are now being judged by the people who matter most, the industrial user.
With the Summit closing out the conference season, the conversations in Miami made it clear how far the private 5G (P5G) landscape has come since things kicked off at MWC Barcelona back in February.
What stood out, and was reinforced repeatedly by industrial and manufacturing leaders, is that 2025 was defined more by adoption than by technical breakthroughs. Attendees weren’t talking theory; they came ready to share real deployments, lessons learned, and measurable outcomes. From their perspective, P5G has clearly graduated from science experiment to business reality, shifting the conversation toward outcomes and value. And for many enterprises, that reality now includes moving past Wi‑Fi, convinced that P5G delivers stronger industrial performance at lower cost. Against that backdrop, vendors are competing to prove who can deliver the most value in real‑world deployments, and the competition was on full display in Miami.
The Vendor Showdown: Who’s Talking and Who’s Connecting?
The vendor lineup featured Nokia, Ericsson, Druid, LG Electronics, Celona, Future Technologies, and OneLayer. Each came with a story to tell, but the way their pitches landed with enterprise buyers couldn’t have been more different. Some sparked curiosity, others sparked caution.
The Heavyweights: Nokia & Ericsson
No surprise here- Nokia and Ericsson continue to dominate the conversation. Their telco heritage and global scale give them instant credibility. Nokia, in particular, has seen great success with private 5G deployments at Miami International Airport, where its network is powering digital transformation across passenger services, aircraft turnaround, and perimeter security. These wins showcase how Nokia’s industrial‑grade private wireless can deliver measurable outcomes in mission‑critical environments.
But for manufacturers focused on operational continuity, these solutions can still feel overly complex and expensive. They’re undeniably powerful, yet sometimes too heavy for enterprises that want agility and simplicity. The Miami example underscores both sides of the equation: Nokia can deliver at scale in high‑stakes environments, but smaller enterprises may hesitate when faced with the cost and complexity of such deployments.
The Specialists: Druid & LGE
Druid has built a reputation for flexibility, particularly in smaller‑scale deployments. Their ability to tailor solutions to unique enterprise requirements makes them a compelling choice for organizations seeking customized connectivity. However, that adaptability often requires integrating radio access components (RAN) from multiple vendors. For example, pairing Druid’s core with Nokia’s RAN. For many enterprises, the added complexity of managing diverse suppliers runs counter to their goal of simplifying support and operations.
LG Electronics is still finding its footing in the industrial P5G space. Attendees were curious, but most seemed to be hanging back, waiting to see how their offering stacks up against the bigger, more established players. Even so, LG’s strong hardware background and ecosystem partnerships give them a shot at delivering integrated solutions once their industrial strategy comes together. That said, they’re the new kid on the block, and it’s going to take some time (and a few solid customer wins) before the market really warms up to what they’re bringing.
The Market Mover: Celona
This is where the summit got genuinely interesting. Nothing carries more weight than a customer standing up and saying, “This product is delivering.”
That’s exactly what happened. Multiple enterprise customers, including BP and Cargill, openly validated their positive experiences with Celona. Their momentum in the industrial market is undeniable. Celona’s approach feels purpose‑built for enterprise IT buyers: simple deployment, smooth interoperability with IT tools, measurable ROI, and operational resilience. Listening to BP and Cargill describe their deployments, you could almost feel the room leaning in.
Beyond the excitement in the room, what’s striking is the consistency of Celona’s trajectory. They’re not trying to blitzscale or overwhelm the market with hype; instead, they’re methodically building credibility through enterprise wins and real world successes. That steady pace is resonating with industrial buyers who value reliability over flash. Each new deployment adds weight to their position, signaling that Celona isn’t just a challenger anymore, they’re quietly carving out real market share in the private 5G arena.
Beyond Hardware: The Industry Bookends
Not all the players in Miami were hardware vendors. Some are shaping the industry in other critical ways. Future Technologies and OneLayer stepped up as bookends for the ecosystem, providing the managed services and security layers that make private 5G adoption sustainable.
Future Technologies was front and center showing the room why they are trusted with the U.S DoD’s most critical infrastructure. Their value lies in guiding enterprises through the full lifecycle of private 5G, from pre‑deployment planning to post‑deployment optimization. For buyers, that means not just getting a network stood up, but ensuring it delivers measurable outcomes over time. Their role as a trusted MSP makes them a critical bookend for the ecosystem, helping enterprises translate technology into sustained operational value.
On the other end of the spectrum, OneLayer is carving out its place as the visibility and protection specialist for private cellular devices. Their focus is on securing the endpoints that make industrial private 5G viable by ensuring that connected sensors, machines, and devices don’t become blind spots or vulnerabilities. At the summit, their message resonated with enterprises who see security as inseparable from adoption. By providing the critical lens of device visibility and protection, OneLayer is stepping up as the other bookend, safeguarding the foundation on which private 5G outcomes are built.
The Shifting Narrative
Celona’s co‑founder, Rajeev Shah, captured the current vibe in his RCRWireless interview, describing the market as a “three‑horse race” between Nokia, Ericsson, and Celona.
After two days in Miami listening to enterprises, I get it. The biggest change from even a year ago is that Celona is now consistently mentioned alongside those legacy giants. That’s not just marketing spin, that’s customer‑driven market energy.
What struck me most at the summit was how the P5G framing has matured. Enterprises weren’t asking “if” private 5G works anymore, that question is settled. Instead, they were comparing vendor approaches, trading deployment lessons, and debating which solutions actually deliver ROI.
In that context, Celona’s presence felt different. End‑user testimonials gave Celona’s solution a level of credibility that’s hard to ignore. Hearing industrial leaders describe how Celona helped streamline operations and simplify connectivity challenges made their offering stand out in a way that marketing slides never could.
Meanwhile, Nokia and Ericsson remain formidable players, with unmatched global scale and telco expertise. Their solutions are robust, and Nokia’s recent wins in Miami underscore its ability to deliver at scale. Still, the market has taken note of Nokia’s restructuring of its private 5G division, which has left some enterprise buyers cautious about long‑term support.
For the enterprise seeking agility, both Nokia and Ericsson can feel heavy compared to lighter entrants. Druid brought a different angle with its flexibility in smaller deployments, while LG Electronics leaned on its hardware pedigree and ecosystem potential. As a newcomer, LG will need time to build references before enterprises fully warm to its industrial strategy.
Together, these players round out a market terrain that’s evolving quickly. The conversation has clearly shifted: private 5G is no longer about proving whether the technology works, but about showing which vendor can deliver the most value in real‑world industrial environments. And in Miami, Celona demonstrated it belongs in that conversation, standing shoulder‑to‑shoulder with the established heavyweights as the market matures. Its AP‑only AerFlex solution has already appealed to enterprises like Cargill, who are deploying at remote sites with little or no IT staff. This is a clear sign that Celona’s simplicity resonates where heavyweight complexity does not.
My Takeaway from Enterprise Buyers
After two days at the 5G‑OT Alliance Summit, the message from enterprise buyers was unmistakable: private 5G has moved beyond pilot projects and hype. The conversations were grounded in deployments, ROI, and operational outcomes, not theory. Industrial and manufacturing leaders weren’t asking if P5G works anymore, that question is settled. Instead, they were comparing vendor approaches, trading lessons from the field, and debating which solutions deliver the most value in their environments.
The shift in focus was on full display in Miami. The way vendors positioned themselves, and how their pitches landed with enterprise buyers, revealed just how differently each is approaching the industrial private 5G market. Some inspired confidence, others raised caution, but all underscored the fact that adoption is now the benchmark, not feasibility.
