Today, the private network is supporting use cases in Las Vegas such as telemedicine and remote learning, as well as some IoT capabilities
In partnership with Japan-based NTT, Las Vegas City has laid claim to “the most extensive private network” in the U.S. The network uses CBRS spectrum and is geared for “local businesses, government and educational institutions,” according to NTT. More particularly, it is geared for innovation, so that these entities, and others, can design and deliver new smart-city services.
Today, the network is supporting use cases such as telemedicine and remote learning, as well as some IoT capabilities like air quality and traffic sensors. The city’s CTO Michael Sherwood took part in the Private Networks Forum to offer insight into what to expect from the network in the future.
According to Sherwood, the city is looking into several additional applications for the CBRS private network including autonomous vehicle technology and even providing internet to the city’s homeless population. “We see the CBRS network as being a way of… help[ing] some of those people in transition,” he explained, saying they can access things like online banking, for instance, to remain part of the economy.
Sherwood’s overall vision, though, is to simply make Las Vegas a “connected community” that provides “better education [and] better safety services.” He believes that they key to achieving this vision doesn’t actually lie with the technology itself, but rather with the opportunity for innovation the technology brings. “It’s the ability to create new minds… new opportunity and… new businesses. The vision is really a connected world, and in order to get there, we need to have the infrastructure,” he said.
In line with this vision, the network in Vegas is the first of its size to be open to third-party APIs and end user devices, and the city shares the data is collects on a platform called Open Data Portal. “It’s a network open to the people… For us, that brings companies here, it brings people here, it brings opportunity. And so a lot of these things are not only about making Las Vegas the most technologically advanced city in the US.,. but it’s also about bringing the best opportunities, the best jobs, the best future state as well. It brings the best ideas together and minds together, which we just happen to love that it’s here.”
When asked if there are plans to monetize the network, Sherwood shared that while he certainly recognizes the value of doing so, the city isn’t “looking at that model right now.”
“We’re really about delivering services. We’re not thinking of it as a utility at all. We’re using it to serve the community, and so we don’t charge for the services, we don’t intend to charge. So, no monetizing. Although I’d love to say yes, I don’t see that as where we’re going as an organization,” he continued.
He did add, however, that he does see an opportunity for private venues like stadiums and arenas — something Vegas has plenty of — to find ways to monetize CBRS and private spectrum. “There might be some opportunities there when we have large events to monetize it in those areas. But on a whole… no commercialization… I treat it as a streetlight, a signalized intersection, the roadway… Connectivity is going to be a necessity that, if cities don’t have those options, people won’t live there, and so it’s kind of a base infrastructure component.”
The city is still wrestling with how to make this public network work with the private sector, while maintaining a network that is truly for the community. “We’re on the right path,” said Sherwood. “There’s going to be challenges ahead, but at the end of the day, we’re starting; we’re doing something. And I think that’s the biggest thing — you got to start.”
