Cox Communications said yesterday that it will establish a managed private wireless network using spectrum in the CBRS band to support a trial with the city of Las Vegas aimed at enhancing public safety in a local park.
A Cox spokesman confirmed that the company will use LTE technology for the deployment and that the company will use unlicensed CBRS spectrum.
Private LTE networks use essentially the same technology as networks operated by cellular service providers but have a more limited coverage area and are for the exclusive use of an enterprise or, in this case, a city.
Enterprises, as well as government entities such as the city of Las Vegas, may choose to establish a private LTE network as a means of enhancing security and privacy.
Those qualities will be important to the Las Vegas trial, which will use video cameras installed in the local park to deliver insights into visitor attendance and after-hours activities at the park.
“[B]y utilizing a private network solution, the security and reliability of the data transmission is greatly enhanced,” Cox said in a press release.
Additionally, all confidential, personal and sensitive data will be encrypted to protect the privacy of park visitors, Cox said.
The cameras will generate real-time alerts that will enable the city to “strategically send patrols to the park only when needed, improving operations and enabling officers to focus their time elsewhere.”
The city also plans to use occupancy, turnover and other data generated in the one-year trial to, for example, identify dangerous traffic patterns or other safety issues.
“The combination of Cox’s existing fiber network with the city’s infrastructure will accelerate the ability to deploy solutions and will provide an ideal path to a long-term, sustainable solution should the pilot prove successful,” Cox said in today’s press release about the private CBRS network.
The trial announced today is the latest in a string of smart city announcements that Cox has made in the Las Vegas area.
Earlier this year, Cox began a trial of a a smart curbside management system in Las Vegas aimed at reducing downtown traffic congestion.
Last year Cox said it had deployed smart lighting to support a trial in neighboring Henderson, Nevada.
In July 2021, that trial was expanded to also include smart water meters.
