Reported citywide CBRS private network for the City of Las Vegas, Nevada

Overview

The City of Las Vegas runs a citywide private cellular network on CBRS (Citizens Broadband Radio Service) spectrum with NTT, which announced on September 28, 2022 that it was leading an expansion to more than double the network's access points and open it to third-party access points and devices.^[1] NTT said the network extends across public spaces rather than inside buildings and named Celona as a technology partner.^[1] In July 2023, RCR Wireless reported the network was supporting telemedicine, remote learning, and air-quality and traffic sensors, and the city's technology chief said Las Vegas provides the services without charge.^[2] NTT DATA still listed the Las Vegas network among its private 5G projects in February 2024.^[3]

At a glance

Organization

City of Las Vegas.^[1][2]

Location

Las Vegas, Nevada, across public spaces in the city; no single site is named.^[1]

Date reported

Expansion announced September 28, 2022 at Mobile World Congress Las Vegas;^[1] reported in use on July 26, 2023;^[2] cited by NTT DATA on February 22, 2024.^[3]

Spectrum

CBRS.^[1][2] Whether the city uses General Authorized Access (GAA) or Priority Access License (PAL) spectrum is not publicly stated.

Technology

NTT's private 5G (P5G) platform, delivered as an LTE/5G network as a service, and open to third-party access points and end-user devices.^[1]

Scale as reported

NTT said its partners would more than double the number of access points across Las Vegas, without giving a count.^[1] NTT called it the most extensive private network in the U.S.; that is the company's claim.^[1][4]

Vendors and roles

NTT (NTT Ltd. at the time): lead of the multi-party, multi-phase project, supplying its P5G platform and managing network services.^[1] Celona: private 5G LAN technology, including a software-defined operational model for tracking key performance indicators.^[1] RCR Wireless noted that Terranet Communications had said in 2021 it installed an earlier citywide Las Vegas network, and that Terranet's continued role was unclear.^[4]

Integrator

Not publicly stated beyond NTT.

Status

In use as of July 2023, according to RCR Wireless;^[2] NTT DATA still cited the project in February 2024.^[3] We found no later public update.

How the network is used

• Remote learning connectivity for Clark County School District students.^[1][2]
• Motion-sensing cameras in parks, event venues, and congested traffic areas to assist law enforcement, which NTT listed as an initial use case in 2022 (video surveillance).^[1]
• Telehealth and other connectivity for residents.^[1][2]
• Air-quality and traffic sensors; the city said it was also looking at autonomous vehicle technology and internet access for homeless residents.^[2]

Reported results

As reported by the sources below; not independently verified.

• No measured results were published.^[2][1]
• The city's technology chief, Michael Sherwood, said at the Private Networks Forum in 2023 that Las Vegas does not charge for the network's services and was not planning to monetize it, RCR Wireless reported.^[2]

Timeline

1. Feb 22, 2024

   NTT DATA lists the Las Vegas network among its private 5G projects.^[3]

2. Jul 26, 2023

   RCR Wireless reports the network is supporting telemedicine, remote learning, and IoT sensors.^[2]

3. Sep 28, 2022

   NTT announces the private 5G expansion for the City of Las Vegas at Mobile World Congress Las Vegas, with Celona as a partner.^[1][4]

4. 2018

   Las Vegas begins working with NTT on sensor, IoT, and analytics projects for safety and traffic.^[1]