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Oil & Gas (O&G) operations—upstream, midstream, downstream — demand reliable, secure, low‑latency connectivity across harsh, hazardous, and highly dynamic environments. Private 5G has matured into an operational fabric capable of supporting connected worker safety, digitalpermits, mobile video, telemetry, and autonomous workflows at industrial scale. This white paper provides a vendor‑agnostic blueprint for leaders planning aPrivate 5G program. It covers Greenfield vs. Brownfield realities by segment; a step‑by‑step deployment process from discovery to Day‑2 operations; spectrum options in the U.S. and Canada; fiber vs. microwave backhaul economics; deviceecosystem and certification; success metrics; risk register; and a pragmatic,CFO‑friendly TCO scaffold. We take Clover IQ’s outcome‑first approach: startwith use cases and safety, design for uplink realism (not brochure downlink),and make Day‑2 discipline non‑negotiable.
Private 5G earns its keep where Wi‑Fi struggles: metalcanyons, long linear assets, C1D1/C1D2 zones, and weather‑beaten yards. Theupside is material—fewer unsafe hours, tighter permit cycles, more tool time,and less unplanned downtime. The downside is predictable when teams design likeit’s Wi‑Fi, ignore hazardous zoning until procurement, or treat backhaul as anafterthought.
• Map use cases to SLOs. Pick spectrum deliberately(CBRS/PALs in the U.S.; NCL in Canada). Right‑size uplink for video/telemetry.Choose backhaul using trenching math, not habit. Set acceptance KPIs and fundDay‑2 RF optimization.
• Overbuild downlink. Defer zoning to the end. Assumeexisting fiber everywhere. Skip SIM governance and spares.
Note: Values are directional medians or ranges from recent industry and agency sources. Local conditions can shift results materially.
• Operational risk: O&G operates under hazardous, distributed, and latency‑sensitive conditions. Even short interruptions ripple into permit delays, safety exposure, and lost production.
• Determinism & security: SIM‑anchored identity, QoS slicing, and mobility control deliver predictable performance beyond best‑effort Wi‑Fi.
• Coverage & mobility: Macro + small cells extend deterministic coverage where assets move (people, forklifts, trucks) and metal obstructs.
• Ecosystem maturity: Certified C1D1/C1D2 devices, 5G SA cores on‑prem, and shared‑spectrum regimes (CBRS/NCL) make industrial deployments viable without national spectrum holdings.
• Design in safety & RF from day zero: place masts with safe‑power conduits; pre‑stage microwave to core; ventilate shelters for IT/OT gear; specify C1D1/Zone 1 devices in the instrument index.
• Coverage strategy: perimeter macro + sectorized yards; small cells for rig floors, pipe decks, well pads.
• Backhaul: microwave primary with fiber opportunistic at pads; satellite as tertiary for failover offshore.
• Windows & work packs: align radio install with turnarounds; treat each unit like a mini‑project with confined‑space and hot‑work permissions.
• Coexistence: LMR/PTT interop, Wi‑Fi offload for noncritical; RF plan for heavy steel and flameproof housings; C1D1 camera uplink provisioning.
• Backhaul: reuse ducts where possible; microwave hops to substations; avoid trenching in live areas.
Key use cases: digital PTW, PTT (group/priority), gas imaging patrols, torque/pressure telemetry, rig‑move comms, lone‑worker safety.
• Linear coverage: macro along ROW with repeaters at elevation; small cells at stations and terminals.
• Backhaul: microwave between stations; fiber where highway/rail corridors ease aerial placement.
• Security & reliability: APN segmentation per station; edge buffering for leak‑detection sensors.
• No‑dig first: avoid trenching across right‑of‑way; leverage microwave + existing fiber stubs.
• Interference & PALs: use PALs or tight RF for yards near third‑party CBRS operators.
• Mobility: validate handover for patrol trucks and yard vehicles.
Key use cases: leak detection & CP telemetry, gate/yard ops, RTLS for H2S muster, drone/robot inspections.
• Bake‑in conduits: pre‑wire safe power and fiber; specify RF‑friendly building materials; centralized on‑prem core with redundant UPF.
• Dense small‑cell topologies: coverage for vessels, exchangers, racks; design for uplink‑heavy video and AR.
• Metallic maze: multi‑path and shadowing demand tight cell planning; layer with existing high‑density Wi‑Fi; define mobility domains to prevent ping‑pong.
• Change control: align RF work with management of change (MoC) and EHS procedures.
Key use cases: digital permits, operator rounds, ATEX video, AR assist, forklift telemetry, mobile MES, predictive maintenance.
• Inputs: site drawings (P&IDs, plot plans), hazardous zoning maps (Class/Div or Zones), asset hierarchy, EHS constraints, current connectivity inventory.
• Activities: RF walkdowns (RSRP/RSRQ/SINR), backhaul pathing (LOS, clutter, duct availability), power audit, grounding plans, safety method statements.
• Outputs: survey report, hazard mapping overlay, preliminary coverage heatmaps, backhaul options (fiber/microwave/satellite), risk register.
• Define SLOs per use case: e.g., PTT setup <150 ms; C1D1video 2–6 Mbps uplink sustained; work‑permit cycle time reduction; lone‑worker SOS delivery <3 s.
• Financials: quantify downtime avoided, travel hours saved, safety exposure reduction; build acceptance criteria around these.
• U.S.: start on CBRS GAA; add PALs where interference risk or capacity congestion appears; plan SAS registration and governance.
• Canada: map NCL local areas; plan capacity within local allocations; evaluate adjacency to public 5G for hybrid models.
• RAN (macro + small), packet core (on‑prem SA), SAS, device mgmt (eSIM/IMEI), security (Zero Trust micro‑segmentation), backhaul(fiber/microwave), RTLS, PTT/MCX.
• Scorecards tied to SLOs (uplink, mobility, survivability, hazardous support, MTBF/repair RMA terms).
• Link budgets, sectorization, handover plans, interference modeling; antenna placements with C1D constraints; backhaul decision tree (reuse → aerial → underground → microwave), weather fade (rain, ducting) and path diversity.
• IT/OT identity: AAD/Okta, PKI, SIM lifecycle; network: APN/PLMN, QoS classes per use case, IPAM; interop: PTT/LMR, Wi‑Fi roaming/offload, SCADA/MES/CMMS connectors.
• Security: Zero Trust, NAC for OT, MFA for admin, logging to SIEM, least privilege for field devices.
• Coverage %, RSRP/RSRQ/SINR pass thresholds; uplink throughput per camera; HO times; PTT MOS; E2E latency; jitter; failover drills.
• Environmental & compliance checks (enclosures, grounding, labeling for Ex zones).
• 24×7 monitoring; RF optimization (seasonal and post‑maintenance); SIM/device lifecycle; patching; vulnerability mgmt; spares& swap; change windows aligned with turnarounds; KPI reporting tied to SLOs.
• Core: On‑prem SA (lowest latency/control), carrier‑hosted, or hybrid (on‑prem UPF + cloud control).
• RAN: Macro for perimeters/linear assets; small‑cell canyons in units; class A/B CBSDs per exposure; rooftop/facade mounts; C1Denclosures where required.
• Backhaul: New underground fiber (highest capex); aerial fiber (mid capex); microwave (fastest TTM, strong TCO where trenching isexpensive); satellite for failover/offshore.
• Edge compute: Video analytics, gas imaging, AI assist;keep uplink local when possible.
• Coexistence: Wi‑Fi for non‑critical traffic; LMR/PTT interworking; OT segmentation with routed inter‑VLANs/APNs.
• U.S. — CBRS (3.55–3.7 GHz): Three tiers (Incumbent, PAL,GAA). GAA enables rapid start; PALs add protection where contention occurs. SAS fees accrue per radio; plan for lifecycle governance.
• Canada — NCL (3900–3980 MHz): Local, first‑come licensingfor private deployments; practical for plant‑level coverage; design capacitywithin local allocations; integrate with public 5G where it helps.
Planning tips: In U.S. yards near other CBRS users, earmarkPALs for high‑value areas. In Canada, treat NCL as site‑specificspectrum—optimize with tighter RF and edge compute.
Underground fiber costs are driven by trenching/boring,traffic control, restoration, and make‑ready; aerial fiber reduces civil workbut requires pole access and may still need make‑ready. Microwave winstime‑to‑market and often TCO in no‑dig or complex ground conditions; modernmultiband and adaptive modulation meet refinery‑grade availability withprotected paths.
1) Reuse existing ducts/fiber if they meet SLA. 2) If not,evaluate aerial before trenching. 3) Where aerial is impractical or permittingis slow, go microwave (with diverse paths). 4) Keep satellite as tertiary(offshore and remote).
• Hazardous regimes: U.S. NEC/NFPA 70 Class/Division;EU/International ATEX/IECEx Zone 0/1/2 and dust Zones 20/21/22. Map zones toapproved device categories early.
• Form factors: Intrinsically safe 5G smartphones (Div1/Zone 1); rugged 5G tablets (Zone 2/22); C1D2 panels for sensors/Edge.
• Selection guidance: Match device SKUs to hazard maps;confirm Ex markings; verify band support (CBRS Band 48, n77 in Canada), Wi‑Fi6/6E for dual‑stack, battery swap options, glove‑use screens, and accessoryecosystem (PTT, holsters, external mics).
• Coverage: ≥95% of target area at design RSRP/SINRthresholds (unit‑by‑unit and outdoor yards).
• Mobility/Voice: Handover <80 ms within layer; PTT setup<150 ms; MOS ≥4.0 in noisy areas.
• Throughput (uplink): 2–6 Mbps per stream for C1D1 video;higher for analytics.
• Latency/Jitter: E2E 30–50 ms depending on app; jitter<10 ms.
• Reliability: ≥99.95% single path; 99.99% with diversity.
• Security: SIM/eSIM policy enforced; mTLS for mgmt; admin MFA; detailed logging to SIEM.
• Governance: Steering committee (Ops, EHS, OT, IT), changecontrol aligned to turnarounds; exception handling documented.
• Compliance: NEC/NFPA 70/CEC, ATEX/IECEx,grounding/bonding, labeling; record of inspection and intrinsically safe devicelogs.
• Security: Micro‑segmentation (per use case), APN isolation, certificate management, vulnerability mgmt SLAs, incident runbooks with comms plans.
1. Weeks 0–2: Discovery, EHS reviews, hazard Confirmation ofRequirements (CoR)
2. Weeks 2–6: Surveys, RF prelim design, backhaul options,spectrum plan
3. Weeks 6–10: Detailed RF/backhaul; BoM; MoC packages;permits
4. Weeks 10–16: RAN install (windows/turnarounds), backhaulbuild (microwave or aerial), core deploy
5. Weeks 16–20: Integration (PTT/LMR, Wi‑Fi, OT); deviceenrollment; security hardening
6. Weeks 20–24: Acceptance testing; EHS sign‑off;operational handover
7. Weeks 24–28: Optimization sprint; Day‑2 steady state
• Run RF/backhaul design alongside civil works; pre‑installconduits, power, and mounts; stage macro first, then small cells; integratecore early for app testing.
• Outcomes first: Tie RFP (or SoW) to SLOs and acceptance KPIs, not vendor brand lists.
• Spares & lifecycle: batteries, antennas, SFPs, cables,Ex labels; SIM stock; RMA terms; firmware cadence.
• Managed Services: codify RF tune cycles, KPI reporting,and security SLAs; budget SAS fees and license renewals.
CBRS, PAL, GAA, SAS, NCL, C1D1/C1D2, ATEX, IECEx, PTT/MCX,UPF, APN, PLMN, RSRP/RSRQ/SINR, HO, TCO, MoC, EHS, OT.
• Coverage heatmaps per unit & yard
• RSRP/RSRQ/SINR thresholds met
• UL throughput per stream verified
• PTT setup/HO metrics captured
• Failover drills completed
• Security controls (MFA, mTLS, SIM policy) validated
Digital work permits; mobile rounds; C1D1 video; AR assist;leak detection telemetry; forklift/vehicle telemetry; RTLS muster; drone/robotinspections; lone‑worker safety.
Steel, pressure, weather, and time don’t read slideware. They yield to design, discipline, and data. Private 5G delivers when you buildfor outcomes: map the work, plan the uplink, prove the KPIs, and fund Day‑2. That’s the Clover IQ way—forward‑leaning, vendor‑agnostic, and obsessed withyour business result.
Clover IQ is a vendor‑agnostic integrator and managedservices partner for industrial connectivity. We design, deploy, and operatePrivate LTE/5G, Wi‑Fi, and hybrid networks for O&G, chemicals, utilities,and large campuses across the U.S. and Canada.
hello@cloveriq.com • +1‑682‑429‑3374 • Dallas, TX & Canada
