T-Mobile has deployed fully private 5G networks across all 29 (US) MLB ballparks, using Ericsson hardware and a local tranche of mid-band n41 spectrum – for automated ball/strike calls, fan engagement tools, and real-time analytics; the sector is busy, with parallel projects by AT&T, Comcast, Hughes, RANsemi.
In sum – what to know:
Dedicated network – each stadium features an all-edge private 5G network with uncontested n41 spectrum, for low-latency pitch tracking and decision support for MLB’s Automated Ball Strike system.
Integrated services – networks combine with on-site and cloud MLB services, support sensor and fan data, and operate alongside T-Mobile’s public 5G SA for ticketing, concessions, and media coverage.
Enterprise 5G world – The rollout reflects T-Mobile’s broader enterprise 5G strategy; plus related private edge deployments by AT&T, Comcast, Hughes, RANsemi in sports, transit, rail, and portable networks.
The baseball season gets under way in the US today (March 26), and T-Mobile has a private 5G network at every ballpark in the land: 29 different stadiums, 29 different networks, all supplied by T-Mobile, all made by Ericsson. These are all fully-dedicated all-edge affairs – so no public cores and no public slices, T-Mobile confirmed. They use uncontested local swathes of its mid-band n41 spectrum at 2.5 GHz (between 2469-2690 MHz). It is the kind of solution that, a year ago, only Verizon would have delivered. But Big Red’s rivals in the US have picked up their private-5G games in the enterprise space – and T-Mobile’s game, at writing, is Major League Baseball (MLB).
AT&T’s is golf, by the way – just not with private 5G networks, or not yet anyway. But AT&T’s edge infrastructure play is busier, suddenly, as covered in these pages recently, and RCR will pick up with it in due course. Meanwhile, T-Mobile’s MLB rollout reflects a wider revitalization of arena/venue comms infrastructure, generally for sports; a round-up of recent activity, including AT&T’s birdies and eagles on the indoor fairways of the TGL (Tomorrow’s Golf League) competition, plus related enterprise 5G activity, is included at the bottom of this article. But T-Mobile has just hit it out of the park, from Fenway Park and Wrigley Field to T-Mobile Park itself.
T-Mobile has worked with MLB for 14 years already, it said; the primary use case to justify a private 5G set-up at every ballpark is the competition’s Automated Ball Strike (ABS) challenge system, introduced ahead of the 2025 season, going “league-wide” ahead for the 2026 season, to monitor ball pitches in the batter’s strike zone – and provide a mechanism for players to appeal the umpire’s ball/strike calls. (See the video here and below for how it works). T-Mobile said its private 5G installation will support the ABS system everywhere “from officials’ laptops to real-time analysis tablets”. Sundry sensor data will be used in ‘fan experience’ coverage, also.
Scott Jacka, senior director of technology development strategy at T-Mobile, explained: “This is a dedicated, on-site 5G private network solution. The in-stadium networks are built using Ericsson’s EP5G and DOT radios on n41 spectrum so pitch data moves quickly – so decisions can be delivered and the game goes smoothly. The public network within each stadium does not use the [same] n41 spectrum. Each private network also broadcasts a unique PLMN ID – which any device would need to be aware of, and be provisioned onto the system to obtain access. [The networks are] installed on top of existing MLB infrastructure within the MLB footprint at each ballpark.”
Installations were completed jointly with MLB, said Jacka; Ericsson handled integration and commissioning. MLB devices on the networks can access on-premise and cloud-based MLB services, he said. Outside of the dedicated private 5G infrastructure at each stadium, T-Mobile’s public 5G SA network also comes into play, he said – for “network slicing for ticket scanning, concession payments, and photo-journalists” at MLB games, and other major sporting and entertainment events in the US. He stated: “5G SA plays a critical role in many of our partnerships and customer use cases… [It also helps] connect healthcare providers to patient data across multiple clinic locations.”
Jacka offered a line about “private 5G networks on America’s Best Network” – capped per its official Ookla recognition in the US. He said: “5G SA [is] the foundational backbone for next-gen wireless and the enabler for use cases such as physical AI – by providing the reliability, speed, and ultra-low latency… We work with a number of major sports organizations and leagues to support advanced technology experiences. We have enabled new camera angles and other immersive features that have changed how broadcasters cover major events like the men’s and women’s PGA championships, last year’s Ryder Cup and the F1 Las Vegas Grand Prix.”
T-Mobile continues to bundle MLB coverage with its phone plans, which has “delivered more than $1 billion in value to customers” since 2016, it claims.
Enterprise rivalries
The firm, traditionally a consumer brand in the US telecoms market, has been ramping up its enterprise offer. Following its withdrawal from third-party neutral-host systems in CBRS spectrum, in a bid to put more in-building traffic onto its own systems, plus its parallel launch of public network slicing (bundled with security and satellite comms) and a vote-pulling inauguration of a new ‘cyber defense centre’, the introduced a pseudo-virtual private 5G offer for US enterprises last October. Called Edge Control, it offers “private network-like performance minus the overhead”. It is better than enterprise Wi-Fi, it said, and simpler than proper private 5G – as deployed with MLB.
By contrast, AT&T, always a contender with US enterprises (and the best in the land at global IoT fleet tracking), has said very little about private 5G – versus T-Mobile’s late play, and Verizon’s long game. But in the last weeks, it has rushed out a bunch of related items, including collaboration with Cisco and Nvidia to integrate IoT networking, edge computing, and AI infrastructure for low-latency workloads in enterprise and industrial environments, plus work with AWS on last-mile AI workloads, Ericsson on AI-native cloud RAN, and Microsoft for more enterprise AI edge orchestration. Besides, per the sports chat, AT&T has a new deal with the TGL tournament, as referenced above.
This covers dedicated backbone fiber, venue-wide managed Wi-Fi, private cloud access, DDoS protection and firewalls, plus a hefty new broadcast stack – presented as a redundant and secure cloud-connected network fabric to synchronize gameplay, broadcast, and digital fan experiences in ‘real time’. Its remit, effectively, is to turn the custom-built indoor SoFi Center in Florida into a live production and mission-critical connected data platform. So in ways, it is a more exacting project than the T-Mobile private-5G rollout – although that also ties in with a 14-year relationship around infrastructure provision and commercial sponsorship.
Comcast (Business; it’s the business division in every case) has done similar for at TPC Sawgrass, home of The Players Championship, also in Florida – 600 miles (almost 1,000 kilometres) of fiber, hundreds of Wi-Fi access points, and a mission to deliver high-capacity and low-latency across a sprawling outdoor golf course, while also providing a dedicated transport backbone for broadcast production systems. Comcast installed a private 5G network for the 2025 event; interestingly, there is no mention of it as part of its 2026 upgrade.
Parallel projects
There are any number of examples of whizzy sports-related 5G deployments out there; arguably the whizziest of them all is Ericsson’s with the touring SailGP catamaran race, which has previously roped in national carriers like T-Mobile in the US and BT in the UK at local stops.
While RCR is discussing private 5G, there have been a couple of related stories of note this week. Boldyn Networks has extended a 5G-enabled distributed antenna system (DAS) across additional New York MTA subway tunnel segments, bringing continuous cellular coverage into previously unconnected underground areas. The deployment acts as a shared, neutral-host network that supports reliable mobile service in transit environments. AT&T is the first live carrier on these sections. The expansion improves connectivity along key lines and forms part of a wider effort to build a fully connected, high-capacity wireless network across the entire subway system.
Separately, Hughes Network Systems, part of EchoStar, has launched an ‘LEO-for-rail’ satellite connectivity solution, using low Earth orbit (LEO) satellite capacity with its own electronically steerable antenna (ESA) technology to provide consistent, low‑latency broadband to trains and rail infrastructure where traditional cellular networks are unreliable or unavailable. The managed service integrates seamlessly with existing rail communications to fill coverage gaps, support operational systems, and enables always‑on connectivity for passengers and critical applications, extending global satellite broadband to rail networks worldwide.
As well, RANsemi has said its RNS802 5G RAN baseband system‑on‑chip (SoC) is being used in Apeiroon’s deployable mission‑critical 4G/5G network platforms, enabling compact, portable wireless systems for defence, public safety, emergency response and industrial use. Built for high performance with low power consumption, the SoC sits at the heart of Apeiroon’s field‑ready solutions – from backpack units for first responders to vehicle‑mounted and temporary private networks – allowing complete, resilient cellular connectivity to be rapidly deployed without reliance on existing infrastructure.
