What's the difference between private and public LoRa networks?

Answer

There are a number of definitions for private LoRaWAN networks and public LoRaWAN networks. One definition is as follows:

A private LoRaWAN network is usually made up of a single application with network infrastructure provided by a single organization. A public LoRaWAN network will support multiple applications from multiple organizations. 

But the lines between private and public can be blurred. When considering LoRaWAN you need to consider:

• Do you want to subscribe to an established LoRaWAN network operator and possibly pay a subscription? You provide the end devices.
• Do you want to join a community LoRaWAN network where gateway access is available to all users (applications) in the network for the good of the network?
• Do you want to have complete control of the network and become an operator yourself? You can restrict application access just to your own applications or open it up to others.

Anyone can set up a LoRaWAN network and become an operator; this is particularly useful if you need to cover a small area such as a single factory or campus. Obviously, covering a larger geographic area becomes more difficult and therefore you might be better served by subscribing to an established operator with more widespread coverage. As an alternative, you may want to join a community network and allow others to benefit from your local coverage while you benefit from the coverage provided by others elsewhere. The Ezurio (formerly Laird Connectivity) RM1xx supports all of the above scenarios.