Mobilitie, a Newport Beach-based telecommunications infrastructure company, expects to complete its high-speed 5G wireless deployment at the recently rebranded Crypto.com Arena and L.A. Live by the middle of this year.
The telecom company, whose infrastructure can help venues provide wireless access to large amounts of people, says the network—one of its more prominent projects in Southern California—will meet future wireless demands, while allowing for expanded digital initiatives, improved venue operations and enhanced fan communications.
“The first phase of the network went live at the end of last year to improve coverage in the main bowl,” Mobilitie President and Chief Executive Christos Karmis told the Business Journal on Jan. 15.
He added: “The remaining build will be completed in different phases between now and June 2022 as we work around event schedules.”
The wireless network will be integrated with all the major wireless carriers.
$50M Investment
Mobilitie and entertainment company AEG are partnering to bring next-generation wireless technology and state-of-the-art connectivity to the arena—previously known as Staples Center—and its adjacent 4-million-square-foot sports and entertainment district, L.A. Live.
Fans are increasingly expecting to engage in real-time social media and photo sharing, live video streaming and more at large venues.
Large-scale sports and live entertainment venues around the world have seen a steady increase in data usage each year, facilitating the need for network innovation and increasingly robust connectivity solutions across the industry.
Karmis said the investment in Crypto.com arena and associated L.A. Live development is “close to $50 million.”
“We have also invested over $100 million in L.A. over the past five years with over 1,000 new wireless network infrastructure projects in preparation of 5G.  That includes both indoor and outdoor locations,” according to Karmis.
5G is short for the fifth generation of cellular wireless technology
2021 Sale
Mobilitie was founded by Orange County entrepreneur Gary Jabara and sold to BAI Communications of Australia last year for a estimated price of just under $1.7 billion. Mobilitie currently has around 350 employees in the U.S. and was Orange County’s eighth-largest telecommunications company by number of employees last year according to Business Journal rankings.
BAI acquired Jabara’s portfolio of wireless assets, including existing telecommunication infrastructure contracts with transit operators in San Francisco and Seattle, as well as 220 large public venues’ DAS (distributed antenna systems) networks, 10,000 small cells and 300 tower sites across the United States.
According to CEO Karmis, “becoming part of BAI Communications has elevated Mobilitie to being one of the largest wireless infrastructure firms in the world now.  It has enabled us to support our global clients in a way that we couldn’t have done before.”
Elsewhere
Some of Mobilitie’s other notable current projects include:
• Wireless and fiber optic network across the BART transportation system in the San Francisco Bay Area, which will provide wireless coverage from station to station for passengers, including tunnels, stations, and in-train locations;
• Cincinnati’s new TQL Stadium—where the FC Cincinnati soccer team plays (recently completed);
• The Coliseo de Puerto Rico entertainment venue in San Juan;
• A large site in New York City is also under construction.Â
