Comcast and Celona have deployed a private 4G/5G network using the CBRS band at the Sonoma County Fairgrounds in Santa Rosa, California. The network has already provided support for back-of-house operations at a number of events, including the annual Sonoma County Fair last August. Comcast Business designed and deployed the network using Celona’s private 4G/5G system and its own priority access CBRS spectrum licenses (PALs).
The Sonoma County Fair is a well-known local festival, held in July/August, which features horse racing, flower show, music festival, and various family entertainment. But the fairgrounds play host to events throughout the calendar, including music festivals, car shows, dog shows, sports tournaments, and various society gatherings. Comcast said “slow connectivity” previously has resulted in a “poor vendor and customer experience”.
The new private wireless network, it said, delivers extended coverage and better speeds and capacity. It will “enhance the fair experience and help improve back-of-house operations”, notably for point-of-sale systems for ticket purchases, parking, concessions, and more. The network provides “support [for] the tens of thousands of people that flood the property each year”.
The Celona private cellular system integrates third-party RAN gear with its own core network software and cloud orchestration platform. It is sold on its simplicity, as well as its performance.