Citymesh is working with Belgium-based TowerEye on temporary private LTE (4G) networks for festivals and other events. Their private 4G installations will provide connectivity for ticket scanning, contactless payments, and Covid checks, plus flexibility to support other mobile and IoT applications. Broadcasting, and augmented and virtual reality (AR and VR) have been mentioned by the pair.
TowerEye, a specialist in wireless networks and camera surveillance, is to offer Citymesh’s Private LTE solution as part of its tech portfolio for festivals and other events. It has already deployed a temporary private LTE network at Ostend Beach, for access control, Covid scanning, and cashless payments. Other recent references include the Sunset Festival, Ampere Open Air, and Fire is Gold music festivals in Bergen, Ampere, and Antwerp.
It also deployed a private LTE network at the Kamping Kitsch Club costume party (pictured) in West Flanders, and at the World Cycling Championships in Knokke, Bruges, Antwerp, and Leuven, taking place this week (September 18-26) in Flanders. At the latter, LTE will be used for communication between employees and operations, and also for TV broadcasting.
A statement said: “Private LTE networks were already being used; this collaboration is unique by using the LTE network for end-devices with a direct SIM card.” The pair claim their private LTE networks are simpler, integrated with SIMs, and more secure.
In a joint statement, Mitch De Geest, chief executive at Citymesh, and Gust Dierckx, chief executive at TowerEye, said: “This new collaboration between TowerEye and Citymesh ensures that festivals always have stable connectivity. Time is precious when building events and together our solutions can be installed quickly and efficiently.”
Carlo Waelens, market manager for entertainment at Citymesh, said: “The entire world relies more and more on online applications, on the one hand to stay up to date, but also for operational efficiency. With the Mobile Private 4G/5G/LTE network, we are adding a new dimension to connectivity at festivals, allowing organisers to take the next step in introducing new applications.”
Niels Van den Heuvel, general manager at TowerEye, added: “The challenge of a temporary setup lies in the short time span from installation to opening the doors. The expertise of TowerEye with the technology of CityMesh enables us to provide large zones with a stable and flexible network in a short period of time.”
