Verizon, Celona enable private 5G for Rocklahoma music festival

Verizon Business has announced a partnership with Pryor Creek Music Festivals to provide a secure private 5G network for the three-day Rocklahoma outdoor music festival during Labor Day Weekend 2023, billed as “America’s Biggest Labor Day Party.”

The turnkey Celona-based 5G LAN will power applications for employees, sponsors and vendors throughout the 975k sq ft venue, providing dedicated connectivity for point-of-sale devices, laptops and ticket/barcode scanners and helping to ensure a smooth experience for concertgoers. The venue’s coverage area includes parking, admission gates, vendor placement, multiple stages and backstage facilities.

“Outdoor or temporary experiences like concerts, festivals and popups represent one of the fastest growing private-network environments that Verizon Business is servicing right now. Organizers need dedicated connectivity to run connected point-of-sale and event equipment, and it has to be simple to set up and use. Private wireless networks from Verizon fill these needs and help ensure event attendees, vendors and organizers alike have a smooth experience,” said Jennifer Artley, Senior Vice President, 5G Acceleration.

“We look forward to providing sponsors and music fans with a great experience at Rocklahoma, America’s biggest Labor Day party. Fast, stable connectivity can reduce the amount of time our attendees have to wait in line for purchases and ticket scans, which means more time to rock,” said Dave Giencke, Vice President, Pryor Creek Music Festivals.

Celona’s fully integrated private wireless system combines all the requisite components, including RAN access, a full stack converged 4G/5G core, subscriber SIMs/eSIMs and cloud-based orchestration. This allows Verizon to quickly and easily deploy a full-function end-to-end private cellular infrastructure that delivers pervasive coverage and deterministic connectivity to essential network-dependent applications. This can be especially helpful for small and midsize businesses who need turnkey solutions.

David Callisch, Marketing Director, Celona, said, “One of the big benefits of CBRS-based private wireless is that it can deliver the control, coverage and connectivity in large-scale environments subject to constant RF ambiguities.”

Beyond the dedicated private wireless network supporting the event, Verizon announced in June that it lit up high-performance 5G Ultra Wideband across Oklahoma, bringing high speeds, greater capacity and improved network reliability to Pryor and elsewhere throughout the state. Verizon’s 5G Ultra Wideband brings power and performance comparable to a wired broadband internet connection to customers’ pockets.