5G Use Cases for Retail
Day 1 Availability
Main Challenge: Waiting for wired line installation.
Delivering reliable day 1 connectivity at new locations is a key driver for 5G in the retail setting.
By utilising a cloud-managed high-performance 5G connection for a primary link, businesses can open new sites with confidence, and without the cost and delays that often occur with a wired connection.
Cloud management means 5G routers can be deployed in a 'plug and play' zero-touch state to provide secure internet access immediately. Simple enough for a non-technical store manager to get the connection up and running in minutes.
Failover Wireless WAN
Main Challenge: WAN link failure.
It's what keeps retail IT teams awake at night ... the vision of shoppers having to abandon full trolleys when the PoS goes offline. It is surprisingly commonplace and it has significant impact - both financial and reputational.
5G is a viable alternative to fixed infrastructure. When the fixed infrastructure is compromised, automatically send traffic across the 5G wireless link. Once the wired link is restored, traffic flow automatically reverts to the fixed line.
Primary Wireless Store
Main Challenge: Cost and lack of scalability with wired connections
5G is a less expensive and more agile primary link, and a true alternative to a legacy fixed connection for stores.
A 5G wireless edge networking solution will offer SD-WAN functionality, easy VPN setup, WiFi, routing, a firewall and cloud-based security services.
Retailers with many outlets will also value cloud-based network management tools that prevent truck rolls and extended downtime, in favor of detailed analytics and centralised monitoring and troubleshooting.
Pop-Up Stores
Main Challenge: needing data network access for a temporary location
With the ability to create secure cellular broadband connections and make Wi-Fi available, companies have the flexibility to set up retail services such as POS anywhere, anytime, and incredibly fast.
Configure the hardware and ship to site in a plug and play state. 5G wireless solutions include a firewall, easy VPN setup, content filtering, and IPS/IDS – allowing organisations to keep critical payments data secure.
Store Within a Store
Main Challenge: Quickly getting a physically separate network within a larger store
5G allows companies to bring their own network.
Even without any access to the main store’s network stack and security applications, the store-within-a-store can protect important customer and company data through an all-in-one branch router with a built-in firewall and support for cloud-based security services — providing peace of mind for both the big-box store and the smaller enterprise.
IT can remotely monitor WAN conditions and data usage at each location — saving money and fixing issues much more quickly.
Kiosks
Main Challenge: Unavailable, inflexible or unaffordable wired connectivity
Kiosks are being utilised in new use cases as a means to optimise customer experience through speed and convenience. Many kiosks also accept credit card payments, which is challenging for IT teams that need to move the kiosks intermittently, protect cardholder data, and remotely manage connectivity.
5G routers with embedded cellular modem provide a private air-gapped network to protect customers' payment data, while cloud access allows remote troubleshooting and reduced truck rolls.
5G for Retail
For those spearheading innovation in the retail industry
- 5G Retail Use Cases
- 5G Technologies for Retail
- 5G In-Building Coverage
SD-WAN store
for an integrated Edge
In retail environments, the continued influx of IoT devices, mobile workers, cloud-based apps, direct-to-Internet traffic, and technology-expectant customers has made high availability and excellent agility — along with data security — more important than ever. Companies are looking for multi-highly automated SD-WAN routers at the edge of the network.
Leading SD-WAN routers offer built-in 4G and 5G, multi-WAN functionality, easy VPN setup, Wi-Fi, routing, and a firewall. They support network reliability, remote visibility and centralised control. They enable automation and application performance through software-defined networking technologies.
Fixed Wireless Access
as a viable alternative to wires
Originally designed for consumer residences that lacked wired broadband access, FWA is now generating high interest from Australian business.
The unprecedented speed, bandwidth, and latency performance of 5G, makes FWA viable as a primary connection for a wide range of retail locations.
Retailers seeking the benefits of day 1 accessibility, the agility of a scalable connection, cellular-optimised quality of experience (QoE), application-centric traffic steering, and bandwidth augmentation, are shifting to a 5G FWA solution.
Wireless Failover
to protect against network downtime
Even a few minutes of downtime — especially during peak business hours — can cripple a retailer’s revenue, costs, security, and brand credibility.
WAN link failure is the leading cause of network downtime for retail outlets.
With LTE and 5G failover solutions, business policies can automatically send traffic across the wireless link as soon as the primary wired link degrades or fails. Once
the wired link is restored, traffic flow returns to normal.
LTE and 5G provide a reliable and flexible option for retailers — allowing organisations to configure most, if not all, applications to continue running even during a wired outage.
A 5G-enabled adapter offers seamless wireless broadband integration into networking and SD-WAN infrastructure, protecting against network outages.
High Bandwidth
for critical traffic
The key features of 5G are its faster speeds and low latency, but a third important benefit is increased bandwidth.
Retailers face a particular challenge in bandwidth management due to the varied data usage that comes from customer traffic surges and peak selling seasons. With wired connectivity, it’s impossible to instantly provision more bandwidth.
5G connectivity can provide the extra bandwidth needed, and can be pooled among multiple locations to avoid data going unused.
Out-of-Band Management
for remote troubleshooting
5G provides a reliable and flexible option for retailers — allowing organisations to configure most, if not all, applications to continue running even during a wired outage.
With a direct connection from the console port of a 5G gateway- like the Cradlepoint W2005 - to the primary router, IT staff can connect to the router over the air, even if IP and Ethernet are unavailable or not functioning on the primary router.
With out-of-band management capabilities, administrators can diagnose and/ or fix the problem without leaving the office, rolling a truck, or paying for slow and expensive POTS lines.
Security for
all types of traffic
Branches today deal with numerous types of traffic, including direct-to-internet traffic, IoT information, and data that must be sent to back to the corporate data centre.
5G is also enabling new data-rich technologies with more actors, applications and devices interacting with the infrastructure.
In this new environment, efficient control of who may interact with whom, and who may do what and where, becomes a central security objective.
Leading 5G routers have enhanced security features built-in. These controls include new mutual authentication capabilities, enhanced subscriber identity protection, and additional security mechanisms. 5G offers the mobile industry an unprecedented opportunity to uplift network and service security levels.
Cloud Management
for business agility
Retail companies with multiple locations do not have the luxury of placing full-time IT professionals at each site, which means the ability to have visibility into network performance, and to remote manage devices on the network, is a compelling benefit.
5G routers with cloud management mean the IT team at HQ can remotely monitor WAN conditions and data usage at each location — saving money and fixing issues quickly and without need for a truck roll.
Step 1. 5G Site Survey
The 5G network continues to in-fill with increased small cell density, however each site will need to be investigated to ensure 5G is a viable access technology onsite.
Step 2. Install 5G Gateway
MobileCorp provides a certified professional installation of your 5G gateway device and directional antenna to optimise signal strength.
Step 3. Connect to a 5G Network
MobileCorp recommends Telstra for a superior 5G signal in most locations. MobileCorp manages the SIM activation and ensures the best value enterprise wireless plan is applied.
Step 4. Secure, Monitor, and Manage
MobileCorp recommends Cradlepoint 5G cloud-managed connectivity. Our managed service includes 24/7 monitoring, technical support desk, out-of-band device management, Telstra carriage management and more.
Managed Mobility
Protect your end user productivity, control your costs, unburden your IT team and be supported by the experts.
- A single point of contact for your mobile connectivity
- Swift execution of your requests with direct access to Telstra back-end systems
- Local support experts providing friendly responsive service to SLAs
- Transparency and accountability at every stage of the lifecycle
- MobileCorp uses encryption technology to protect your data while at rest and in transit. Browser connections are secured by TLS/SSL
Telecom Expense Management
Peace of mind that you are being billed accurately and not paying more than you need to.
- Expense management delivers guaranteed cost savings
- Makes sense of terabytes of billing data, distilling it into meaningful action points
- Identifies cost saving opportunities and ACTs upon them
- Monitors end user behaviour for policy compliance
Mobile Device Management
For visibility, transparency, security and compliance
- MDM allows zero-touch deployment of devices. Open the box – switch on – work.
- MDM with customised profiles allows remote management of OS and applications.
- Deploy critical and custom applications, push updates, block inappropriate use. Jamf, VMware, Microsoft Intune.
Managed Endpoint Security
For threat detection and defence, and zero trust private access across all your corporate devices across the supply chain, instore, and administration.
- Achieve security at the network and endpoint layers
- Ensure Mobile Data Policy compliance
- MobileCorp managed service provides licensing, deployment, monitoring, security service desk, issue resolution, and reporting
- We recommend Jamf Endpoint Security for zero-day threat detection on mobile devices (also known as Telstra Mobile Protect)
Essential 8 Cyber Security
Essential 8 is the Australian cyber security framework endorses and maintained by the ACSC. MobileCorp offers two Essential 8 solutions to audit, remediate, and provide an uplift to your cyber security posture.
- Retail organisations large and small are constantly targeted in cyber attacks aimed at obtaining customer data or securing a ransom.
- Retailers have a responsibility to ensure their IT systems are secured from malicious actors.
- Reputational damage, regulatory backlash and commercial loss are all outcomes of a hack on your business.
- Being Essential 8 Maturity Level 3 compliant, is a baseline that all retailers regardless of size have a responsibility to maintain.
Network and IT Managed Services
Like having an inhouse expert networking team. Bolster your capability or capacity.
- Technical support service desk
- Managed desktops, endpoints, network
- Microsoft 365 and Teams expertise
- SD-WAN, Cradlepoint Wireless WAN, Telstra TIPT, NBN, Telephony network specialists
- Flexible IT support - plug a gap, complement inhouse capabilities, or hand off workload
Our Customers
Our Most Valuable Asset. Why We Do What We Do.
Our 5G
Technology Partners
Cradlepoint is the global leader in enterprise wireless solutions and first to market with 5G capable hardware. Cradlepoint solutions deliver a pathway to 5G through 4GX LTE and are the backbone of Telstra’s enterprise 5G networks. MobileCorp is an Authorised Cradlepoint Partner and offers Cradlepoint solution design and managed service.
MobileCorp is a Telstra Platinum Partner for Mobility, a Telstra Platinum Partner for Services, and a Telstra Gold Partner for Data & IP. Our shared history spans 30+ years and MobileCorp provides solutions and support to hundreds of Telstra Enterprise and Business customers. MobileCorp’s services can be charged as a monthly fee on the Telstra bill.
Speak to our MobileCorp Representative
To get started with a technology solution, call us on 1800 243 252
