Disruption Is the New Default
In 2025, enterprises are navigating a landscape marked by escalating tariffs, persistent labor shortages, volatile supply chains, and growing pressure to operationalize AI. CIOs are no longer just looking to cut costs. They're rethinking their infrastructure to build resilience and gain a long-term competitive advantage.
This convergence of macro pressures is creating an unexpected opportunity: to modernize the network as a lever for agility, productivity, and future growth.
Modernizing your network may not be optional, but gaining a strategic advantage from it is.
The Hidden Impact of Global Turmoil
While much of the market is reacting to symptoms - such as rising hardware prices, supply chain delays, and talent constraints - the root cause is structural.
Here's what's playing out:
- The U.S. administration’s renewed tariff strategy, including proposed tariffs of up to 145% on Chinese goods, is already impacting adjacent sectors such as industrial IoT, electronics, and networking gear.
- Enterprises reliant on hardware imports, ranging from access points, routers, IoT devices, and edge compute appliances, are seeing unit cost increases of up to 35% compared to 2022 levels, according to RSM and S&P Global analysts.
- Companies like Apple, Dell, and HP are being forced to raise prices or rethink their supply chains to protect margins.
If global tech giants are scrambling to adapt, what does this mean for operational and IT leaders in manufacturing, oil and gas, petrochemicals, and other industrial segments?
The broader takeaway? These tariff-driven disruptions aren’t just about rising costs. They’re pushing CIOs and CTOs to explore leaner, more resilient network strategies. That’s where private 5G becomes more than just a network upgrade. It becomes a strategic imperative:
- Reduces reliance on network hardware through fewer access points and less cabling.
- Unifies fragmented systems into a single wireless fabric.
- Enables intelligent edge applications that improve productivity without increasing headcount.
- And, crucially, it shifts long-term costs (e.g.,CapEx inflation) from variable to predictable.
Headwinds like tariffs don't just challenge the status quo. They create a tailwind for those bold enough to act. In moments of disruption, leaders are pushed to reimagine what’s possible. It's in these environments that the most transformative technologies take root, and redefine the future.
Physical AI Has Arrived. Wi-Fi Alone Won’t Cut It.
While much of the tech world is fixated on generative AI in the cloud, the next wave of transformation is happening closer to the ground - on factory floors, in warehouses, hospitals, and other mission-critical environments.
This is Physical AI in action:
- Autonomous mobile robots using AI to navigate dense warehouse environments and avoid collisions.
- AI-powered computer vision and real-time surveillance systems transforming defect detection.
- Gen AI-powered co-pilots assisting connected workers in hazardous environments.
- Smart sensors making split-second decisions on the production line.
These systems require low-latency, deterministic connectivity and seamless mobility. Legacy Wi-Fi networks, designed for best-effort connectivity, simply aren’t built for this level of performance or scale.
Private 5G bridges the gap and unlocks new possibilities:
- Up to a 90% reduction in radio hardware.
- Predictable performance for mission-critical applications.
- Built-in network segmentation with Zero Trust security.
- Cloud-native orchestration for streamlined operations.
- Device consolidation that lowers CapEx and OpEx.
And this isn’t just theory - it’s already being put into practice:
- Del Conca, a global manufacturer, deployed Celona’s private 5G to eliminate blind spots across their automation-heavy production line.
- bp, a global energy company, is deploying private 5G as part of its broader digital transformation program—supporting both office workers and industrial facilities, such as refineries, offshore facilities, and terminals.
- Stanford Health Care addressed indoor coverage gaps and mobile workflow challenges by leveraging Celona’s neutral host and private wireless infrastructure.
The Business Case for Private 5G
Amid rising tariffs, labor volatility, and AI-driven change, enterprises are being forced to rethink their infrastructure, not just for performance, but for resilience. Private 5G isn’t just an upgrade; it’s a shift from fragmented, reactive networks to a unified, strategic platform for the future.
Here’s how it delivers value measurably, operationally, and strategically:
1. Tame Tariffs, Lower CTO
Due to new and proposed tariffs on Chinese goods, U.S. manufacturing and logistics firms face cost increases of up to 35% on imported networking hardware. Traditional Wi-Fi refresh cycles, typically every 3 to 4 years, can turn this into a recurring financial liability.
Private 5G changes the game:
- Over $500K in estimated savings on hardware and cabling over 3 years for a typical industrial facility with approximately 90% fewer APs used.
- Longer refresh cycles (7–10 years with carrier-grade radios).
- Reduced reliance on tariff-exposed components, especially when using U.S.-based or neutral global suppliers for private 5G gear.
By shifting to software-defined private wireless, organizations can mitigate CapEx inflation, reduce deployment variability, and transform the network from a cost center into a growth enabler.
2. Automate more with less headcount
With more than 500,000 open manufacturing jobs in the U.S[1]., automation is no longer optional. It's essential.
Private 5G provides the foundation for resilient, scalable automation and efficiency:
- Reduced reliance on tariff-exposed components, especially when using U.S.-based or neutral global suppliers for private 5G gear.
- Ensures mobility and predictability that Wi-Fi and legacy mesh networks can’t match.
- Enhances worker productivity through improved communications and real-time data access.
- Supports next-gen connected worker use cases including AR, wearables, AI-based safety systems with ultra-low latency.
With private 5G, enterprises can streamline operations, reduce complexity, and do more with fewer resources.
3. Strategic Example: The Smart Factory Reset
- A $500K increase in network hardware costs due to tariffs.
- Frequent Wi-Fi outages disrupting mobile robots and quality inspection systems.
- A 12-month delay in hiring skilled technicians for critical network upgrades.
By deploying private 5G, they can:
- Reduce access point density by up to 90%.
- Eliminate roaming issues for AGVs across warehouses and production lines.
- Enable 24/7 autonomous workflows with no human intervention required.
- Free up IT staff capacity by using enterprise-friendly AI-optimized network management tools.
That's not just cost savings, it's building resilience under pressure.
4. From Fragmentation to Fabric
Where legacy infrastructure built parallel networks for IT and OT, a true private 5G solution offers a converged wireless fabric that is secure, segmented, and orchestrated in the cloud.
It’s not about replacing Wi-Fi. It’s about knowing where Wi-Fi works best, and where private 5G gives you the edge.
5. A strategic decision, not a technical one
In times of disruption, your network isn’t just an IT concern; it’s a business decision that can either amplify risk or create opportunities for growth.
While Wi-Fi has traditionally been a tactical investment used to fill coverage gaps or handle incremental demand, private 5G is a strategic shift. It gives enterprises a way to modernize their infrastructure, offering greater control, predictability, and scalability. In doing so, it unlocks the performance and reliability needed to support AI-powered operations, bridge IT and OT environments, and reduce exposure to tariff-driven hardware costs.
As we move further into the era of industrial intelligence, private 5G will provide the connectivity foundation necessary to fuel growth and innovation at the edge.
Why It's the Right Time to Invest in a Complete Private 5G Solution
In this macro environment shaped by tariff-driven cost inflation, labor volatility, proliferation of edge-native AI, and increased scrutiny on CapEx and ROI, private 5G is no longer a fringe experiment. It’s the infrastructure layer that allows enterprises to digitize faster, operate more efficiently, and respond to disruption without missing a beat.
At Celona, we’ve engineered an AI-ready private 5G platform built specifically for the enterprise. From radio to edge to orchestration, our vertically integrated stack is designed to go live in weeks, not months. It’s secure, simple to manage, and built to scale with your most critical use cases.
Redefine What Your Network Can Do
Forward-looking companies don’t wait for the market to stabilize. They invest while others retreat.
If your business is feeling the squeeze from tariffs, supply chain disruptions, or the pressure to do more with less, it’s time to rethink your connectivity strategy.
Private 5G isn’t just a performance upgrade. It’s a foundation for resilience, agility, and a long-term competitive advantage.
Let’s start that conversation. Celona is ready to help you move from disruption to transformation.
[1] BLS, March 2025 - https://www.bls.gov/news.release/jolts.a.htm
