US cable operator Comcast began trialling a private 5G network using its own CBRS spectrum at a sports venue as part of move to compete against services from mobile operators and system integrators.

The Comcast Business trial includes fixed-line elements and is underway at a 76,000 square-foot squash centre offering 20 courts and which hosts more than 25 national and international tournaments per year.

Comcast’s set-up is being used to livestream matches, and will also be employed to connect devices to point-of-sales systems and access controls.

Other use cases include monitoring changes in temperature or humidity, and checking for potential leaks which could cause damage.

A Comcast representative for Comcast told Mobile World Live it is using hardware from vendor Highway9 Networks.

Comcast partnered with Celona Networks earlier this year on a private 5G network deployment at a fairground, pairing its CBRS spectrum with the vendor’s LAN products.

In 2020, Comcast paid $485 million for 830 Priority Access Licences in a CBRS sale and employs the spectrum in its Xfinity Mobile MVNO service.