Open wireless smart platform creates new opportunities

NTT Ltd., a global IT infrastructure and services company, has announced a Private 5G (P5G) network expansion for the City of Las Vegas (CoLV) at Mobile World Congress 2022 in Las Vegas, Nevada. The project involves deploying and provisioning NTT’s P5G to build an extensive private network in the United States.

The goal is for the network to serve as an open platform available to local businesses, government and educational institutions for deploying innovative solutions that enrich the lives of citizens and visitors to Las Vegas. NTT is working with partners to more than double the number of network access points (APs) throughout Las Vegas.

Unlike most Citizens Broadband Radio Spectrum (CBRS) deployments, which are in-building or industrial, this network extends across public spaces. It’s also the first network of its size to be open to third-party APs and end-user devices

“The City of Las Vegas network will drive innovation and be a model for cities and businesses worldwide,” said Shahid Ahmed, Group EVP of New Ventures and Innovation at NTT Ltd.

“With the support of NTT’s bespoke services, local organisations can use their own devices and develop their applications on the network. City-wide, residents and visitors will receive improved connectivity, safety, security and access to health care and other critical services.”

Examples of the possible improvements include enhanced remote learning connectivity for schools, upgraded intelligent monitoring systems and better connectivity for services such as telehealth.

The capabilities of a P5G network include ultra-low latency, greater reliability, increased capacity, improved security and flexible management. P5G LAN technology provider Celona is working with NTT on this project. One of Celona’s contributions is a software-defined operational model that can track key performance indicators for an open ecosystem of market-leading device and app providers.

Image credit: iStockphoto.com/metamorworks