Council selects Cellnex for 5G private network

The 10-year contract will see the neutral host giant build a dedicated mobile network, comprising a 5G core and radio access network, in Basingstoke’s central business district, Basing View.

The announcement marks a first major wireless network deal with a UK council for Cellnex following its acquisition of Finnish wireless private networks specialist Edzcom earlier this year. Cellnex said that following this deployment it will have set up more than 35 private wireless networks across Europe including ports, airports, mines and manufacturing plants.

Cellnex will develop a 5G private network providing indoor and outdoor connectivity across the 100 companies located in Basing View and support a 5G Living Lab, where industry partners can “foster innovation” by providing a range of use cases, including smart city and Internet of Things (IoT) applications, immersive retail and leisure, artificial and virtual reality. The project is supported by the Enterprise M3 Local Enterprise Partnership and the University of Surrey 5G Innovation Centre.