Towards Providing Connectivity When and Where It Counts: An Overview of Deployable 5G Networks

Public safety operations require fast and reliable mission critical communications under various scenarios, in which the availability of wireless connectivity can be a question of life or death. To provide connectivity when and where it counts, we have witnessed a growing demand for deployable networks for public safety in natural disasters or emergency situations. This article investigates the opportunities of using the 5th generation (5G) new radio (NR) standard for designing flexible and reliable deployable networks. We describe use cases and provide an overview of deployable 5G network concepts, including architecture options, system performance analysis, and coexistence aspects. We also identify technical challenges that can be considered in the evolution of 5G NR to unlock the full potential of deployable 5G networks.