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Practical guide · Seneca
What does a private 5G network cost in the UK?
Private 5G connects compatible people, machines and applications on a network your business controls. The business case brings the investment together with the value of fewer interruptions, better operational visibility and less manual work. Here is what shapes the cost.
Equipment prices provide a starting point
The following examples are listed Shop prices checked on 16 September 2026, including UK VAT. They are package prices, not quotations for a fully installed site. Open the product page to confirm the selected option and current price before ordering.
| Listed package | Price including UK VAT | Scope to compare |
|---|---|---|
| Askey SCU2050 / Waveriders | £9,562 | Outdoor radio, core server, 10 SIMs and listed deployment/configuration scope. |
| Ataya Chorus Composite Indoor | £12,154 for the one-year option | Indoor radio, platform/support term and 25 SIMs. |
| Askey SCE2120 / AttoCore | £14,094 | Indoor radio, one radio connection licence, 10-user capacity, 10 SIMs and one-year core support. |
The packages have different inclusions and operating models. Confirm core hosting, licensed capacity, radio configuration and support before comparing their totals. Private 5G kits have a 30-day lead time; installation scheduling also depends on site readiness and the agreed work.
What an installed-site budget needs
A site proposal should separate survey and design, radios, core infrastructure, licences, devices, installation, integration and acceptance testing. Power, mounting, backhaul, access equipment and working-hour restrictions can materially change the work required.
Floor area is useful context but not a complete pricing model. Two warehouses of the same size can have different racking, routes, building materials and device traffic. Request a design against the actual operating area and application rather than treating an unexplained per-square-metre rate as an installed quotation.
Plan year two before buying year one
Record software renewals, support, hosting, connectivity, spectrum and the people responsible for operation. A perpetual software licence and an open-source core do not remove hardware maintenance, updates, backup or engineering effort. A subscription package needs a clear view of the term and what happens at renewal.
For UK spectrum, check the applicable licence and current fee structure with Ofcom’s Shared Access guidance. Availability, licence conditions and the proposed equipment configuration need to be resolved as part of the design; a kit purchase does not itself grant spectrum rights.
A useful first-project budget
A warehouse pilot could start with one route, a supported device group and a measured transaction problem. Budget for the equipment and the engineering needed to connect that task to the existing application, not just for a successful radio connection.
Agree the baseline, acceptance measures and responsibilities in advance. The pilot should produce a decision about the next deployment stage, including any additional coverage, user licences, devices or operational support. If existing Wi-Fi improvements meet the requirement, include that option in the comparison.
How to compare quotations
Ask each supplier to price the same coverage boundary, device count, traffic, support period and acceptance tests. Mark customer-supplied items and exclusions explicitly, and distinguish a radio’s maximum user specification from the core capacity included in the price.
What does a private 5G network cost per square metre?
There is no single per-square-metre price for private 5G — a flat rate hides how the network is built. Coverage comes from radios, each covering an area, around a fixed core; you add radios as a site grows, and the fixed core spreads across more space. So the cost per square metre tends to fall as a site gets larger — though adding a radio at a coverage threshold can step it back up, which is exactly why a single headline rate misleads.
These examples use the calculator’s underlying project totals, with one year of support and the SIM counts shown. Installed costs are rounded to the nearest pound; per-m² costs and rental are calculated from the unrounded totals. All figures exclude VAT.
| Example site | Modelled installed cost (ex VAT) | Per m² | Illustrative monthly rental over 5 years* |
|---|---|---|---|
| Indoor, retail-based layout, 5,000 m² 25 SIMs | £76,458 | £15.29/m² | £1,575/month |
| Indoor, retail-based layout, 25,000 m² 50 SIMs | £130,516 | £5.22/m² | £2,685/month |
| Outdoor yard, 30,000 m² 25 SIMs | £46,561 | £1.55/m² | £960/month |
| Outdoor mining site, 500,000 m² 50 SIMs | £65,665 | £0.13/m² | £1,350/month |
The instant calculator presents a budget range around each modelled total.
In these examples the larger sites work out lower per metre, and the outdoor ones lower than the indoor — one outdoor radio covers much more ground. These are example sites, not a price list: every real site is priced on its own coverage. Each estimate covers the 5G core, radios, switch, timing, radio licences, SIMs, cabling, survey, design, installation, commissioning and one year of support. It excludes VAT, user devices, Ofcom spectrum licence fees, internet backhaul, power, and building/access works. Get an instant estimate →
*Modelled rental illustration only; not a rental offer or confirmation of availability. Calculated on the ex-VAT project cost at an assumed 9% effective annual rate, with no additional fees and 60 equal monthly payments starting one month after funding. VAT is payable separately. Monthlies rounded to the nearest £5.
Talk to our team. We help assess your estate and develop a business case, with a phased or full deployment to suit your plans. Finance options are quoted separately with their terms.