Comcast Business Deploys Private Wireless Network at Smartlink: CBRS and Neutral Host Platform Replaces Legacy DAS

Vertical: Commercial Real Estate / Office

Application: In-building cellular coverage, enterprise private networking, IoT connectivity, smart-building applications

Ecosystem: Comcast Business, Smartlink

Private Network: CBRS Private 4G/5G, Neutral Host, Multi-Operator Core Network (MOCN)

Comcast Business has deployed a private wireless network at Smartlink’s company headquarters in downtown Annapolis, Maryland, combining neutral host cellular coverage with a dedicated CBRS private network on a single managed platform. The deployment replaces legacy Distributed Antenna System (DAS) infrastructure and addresses persistent in-building coverage gaps while providing a secure, isolated environment for enterprise and smart-building applications. Smartlink, a company that designs, builds, and sustains wireless infrastructure for carriers and tower companies nationwide, chose Comcast Business to solve its own connectivity challenges, a decision that carries particular weight given the customer’s deep expertise in wireless infrastructure.

The solution leverages a cloud-based 4G/5G mobile core operating independently of public carrier traffic, delivering both neutral host cellular service and dedicated CBRS private networking capabilities. The platform integrates directly with major national carriers through a Multi-Operator Core Network (MOCN) gateway and cellular radio equipment, ensuring reliable cellular voice and data service for all building occupants regardless of their carrier. By eliminating the need for multiple operational connectivity systems, the deployment provides Smartlink with a single platform for a growing range of enterprise and smart-building use cases, including cameras, remote access control, environmental and occupancy sensors, asset tracking, and digital signage.

The Challenge: In-Building Connectivity Gaps and Fragmented Systems

Commercial office buildings have historically faced a difficult choice between tolerating insufficient cellular coverage or investing in multiple disparate network solutions to achieve baseline connectivity. Smartlink experienced this firsthand at its Annapolis headquarters, where legacy infrastructure struggled to meet growing connectivity demands. The company’s operations require robust wireless infrastructure for both employee communications and an expanding portfolio of smart-building applications, yet traditional DAS deployments presented significant capital expenditure requirements, ongoing maintenance complexity, and limited flexibility for future use cases. The problem was particularly acute in dense office environments where building materials and layout create natural RF barriers, leaving dead zones that impact productivity and user experience.

For Smartlink, the connectivity challenges extended beyond simple cellular coverage. As a company that builds wireless infrastructure for carriers and tower companies, Smartlink required a solution that could support both reliable cellular service for employees and visitors while also providing a secure, dedicated network for operational technology. The company needed to connect an increasing number of IoT devices, including security cameras, environmental monitoring systems, access control readers, and occupancy sensors, without compromising network security or performance. Traditional approaches would have required separate systems for cellular enhancement and enterprise IoT connectivity, adding layers of complexity and cost. The solution needed to consolidate these requirements into a single, manageable platform capable of scaling as new applications and use cases emerged.

The Solution: Unified CBRS Private Wireless and Neutral Host Platform

Comcast Business deployed a unified platform that combines neutral host cellular coverage with dedicated CBRS private networking capabilities, delivered as a single managed solution. The architecture leverages Citizens Broadband Radio Service spectrum and a cloud-based mobile core that operates independently of public carrier traffic, creating an isolated and secure environment for enterprise applications. The neutral host component operates through a Multi-Operator Core Network (MOCN) gateway and cellular radio equipment, integrating directly with major national carriers to deliver reliable cellular voice and data service to all building occupants, regardless of which carrier they subscribe to. This approach eliminates the coverage gaps typically found in large commercial office buildings while avoiding the capital intensity and operational complexity of traditional DAS systems.

The CBRS private network component provides Smartlink with a dedicated, SIM-based secure connectivity layer for enterprise and smart-building applications. The cloud-based infrastructure and advanced CBRS radio equipment enabled rapid installation with minimal disruption to daily operations, while the architecture’s inherent flexibility allows for expansion and modification as new requirements emerge. The platform consolidates what would traditionally require multiple systems into a single point of management, reducing operational overhead and simplifying troubleshooting. For organizations evaluating similar in-building connectivity strategies, this deployment model offers a blueprint for addressing both cellular coverage and private enterprise networking requirements without the cost and complexity of maintaining separate infrastructure. Similar approaches have been deployed in other commercial environments, including large venue deployments for major events where converged connectivity platforms serve diverse use cases on shared infrastructure.

Technical Architecture and Deployment Model

The Comcast Business platform architecture separates neutral host cellular enhancement from dedicated CBRS private networking while managing both through unified cloud-based infrastructure. The neutral host cellular component utilizes Multi-Operator Core Network (MOCN) technology, which enables multiple carrier networks to share the same radio access network (RAN) while maintaining separate core network connections. This approach ensures that AT&T, Verizon, and T-Mobile subscribers all receive carrier-grade cellular service without requiring separate physical infrastructure for each operator. The MOCN gateway manages carrier traffic segregation and routing, ensuring that each carrier’s subscribers connect seamlessly to their respective core networks while benefiting from the enhanced in-building RF environment.

The CBRS private network operates on a separate logical layer, utilizing a cloud-based 4G/5G mobile core that functions independently of public carrier traffic. This independence is critical for enterprise security and performance, as it ensures that private network traffic never traverses public carrier infrastructure and cannot be impacted by congestion or service disruptions on the public network. The private network uses SIM-based authentication and traffic encryption to provide enterprise-grade security, enabling Smartlink to confidently deploy IoT devices and operational technology on the wireless platform. The cloud-based architecture reduces on-site hardware requirements and simplifies upgrades, as software updates and feature enhancements can be deployed remotely without truck rolls or service interruptions. The modular design allows Smartlink to scale capacity and add new applications incrementally as business requirements evolve, avoiding the need for forklift upgrades or over-provisioning at initial deployment.

Smart Building Applications and Use Cases

The unified platform enables Smartlink to deploy a comprehensive suite of smart-building applications on the dedicated CBRS private network. Security and surveillance systems represent a foundational use case, with wireless cameras deployed throughout the facility transmitting high-definition video over the private network. Unlike traditional wired camera installations, wireless cameras can be repositioned or added without running new cabling, significantly reducing installation time and cost while increasing flexibility. Environmental sensors monitor temperature, humidity, and air quality throughout the building, providing facilities management teams with real-time data to optimize HVAC systems, reduce energy consumption, and ensure occupant comfort. Occupancy sensors track space utilization patterns, enabling data-driven decisions about workspace allocation, meeting room scheduling, and real estate optimization.

Access control systems have been integrated onto the private network, allowing Smartlink to manage door locks, badge readers, and visitor management through centralized software. The private network’s low latency and high reliability ensure that access control credentials are authenticated in real time, maintaining security while eliminating the delays that can occur on congested Wi-Fi networks. Asset tracking applications leverage the private network to monitor the location and status of equipment, tools, and inventory throughout the facility, reducing loss and improving operational efficiency. Digital signage displays distributed throughout the building receive content updates over the private network, enabling dynamic communication with employees and visitors. The platform’s architecture ensures that all of these applications operate on a secure, isolated network with guaranteed quality of service, avoiding the performance variability and security concerns associated with shared Wi-Fi infrastructure. Organizations in sectors ranging from education to aviation have implemented similar CBRS-based private networks to support IoT and operational technology applications where security and reliability are paramount.

Executive Perspectives on Commercial Office Connectivity

Leadership from both Comcast Business and Smartlink emphasized the deployment’s significance in addressing persistent commercial real estate connectivity challenges. Justin Markle, Senior Vice President of Wireless Partnerships & Development at Comcast Corporation, articulated the broader market problem that the unified platform addresses. He noted that commercial offices have historically been forced to choose between inadequate cellular coverage or substantial investments in multiple disconnected systems simply to achieve baseline connectivity. The unified managed platform that combines carrier-grade cellular service with private wireless operations fundamentally changes that equation, enabling organizations to simplify connectivity infrastructure while managing costs more effectively.

Jason Campbell, Chief Executive Officer of Smartlink, provided the customer perspective, explaining that his team had struggled to find the right networking solution to meet the company’s expanding connectivity needs. Given Smartlink’s core business of designing and building wireless infrastructure for carriers and tower companies nationwide, Campbell’s decision to select Comcast Business carries particular credibility. He emphasized that Comcast Business delivered a single solution addressing both coverage challenges and dedicated operational network requirements, at a price point that made the decision straightforward. The endorsement from a customer with deep wireless infrastructure expertise underscores the technical and economic viability of the unified platform model for commercial office environments. Campbell’s experience in previous roles at T-Mobile and SBA Communications provided him with extensive knowledge of cellular infrastructure economics, making his assessment of the platform’s value proposition particularly authoritative.

Broader Industry Context and Comparable Deployments

The Smartlink deployment represents one implementation of a broader Comcast Business strategy to deliver unified neutral host and private wireless platforms across multiple vertical markets. In May 2025, Comcast Business deployed a groundbreaking private wireless network solution at the University of Virginia in Charlottesville, developed in collaboration with Druid Software Ltd. and Airspan Networks Inc. That deployment similarly utilized CBRS spectrum and Multi-Operator Core Network (MOCN) technology to provide high-performance cellular voice and data service in areas with high traffic and challenging indoor environments. The university deployment demonstrated the platform’s viability in large campus environments where diverse user populations and application requirements demand both public cellular coverage and private network capabilities.

In the hospitality sector, The Sound Hotel Seattle Belltown deployed private wireless network technology in collaboration with Comcast Business and Ballast Networks in November 2022. The 142-room hotel utilizes the private network to support cellular connectivity throughout the property while enabling wireless environmental sensors monitoring temperature, humidity, and other factors, unified staff communications, and AI and ML-powered video surveillance solutions. The sports and entertainment venue market has also seen significant activity, with Comcast Business deploying solutions at Philadelphia’s Wells Fargo Center in partnership with Nokia beginning in November 2023, utilizing a mix of 600MHz spectrum and CBRS for bandwidth-intensive and low-latency video applications. These deployments across education, hospitality, and entertainment venues demonstrate the platform’s adaptability to diverse environments and use cases, with each deployment built on Comcast Business’s licensed CBRS spectrum, cloud-based infrastructure, and carrier relationships. The Smartlink deployment offers a model that other commercial property owners and enterprises can replicate, validated by adoption across multiple sectors.

Cost-Effectiveness and Deployment Economics

While specific investment figures for the Smartlink deployment were not disclosed, the platform’s economics represent a significant departure from traditional in-building wireless infrastructure models. Legacy DAS systems typically require substantial upfront capital expenditure for RF equipment, fiber or coaxial cabling distribution throughout the building, and ongoing maintenance contracts. Each carrier may require separate DAS infrastructure or costly modification fees to add capacity, creating a fragmented and expensive connectivity environment. The Comcast Business unified platform consolidates these requirements, with cloud-based infrastructure reducing on-site hardware costs and the neutral host model enabling multiple carriers to share the same physical infrastructure. This shared model distributes costs across multiple stakeholders and eliminates redundant equipment.

The CBRS private network component leverages license-by-rule spectrum access in the 3.5 GHz band, avoiding the spectrum acquisition costs associated with licensed cellular bands. The cloud-based mobile core architecture reduces the need for on-premises servers and network equipment, shifting capital expenditure to operational expenditure through a managed service model. Installation time and disruption are minimized by the advanced CBRS radio equipment, which can be deployed more rapidly than traditional DAS infrastructure. The platform’s scalability enables organizations to start with baseline coverage and capacity, then expand incrementally as needs grow, avoiding over-provisioning and stranded capital. For commercial property owners and enterprises evaluating in-building wireless investments, the unified platform model offers a path to comprehensive cellular and private network capabilities at a total cost of ownership significantly lower than deploying and maintaining separate systems. Jason Campbell’s characterization of the pricing as making the decision straightforward suggests that the economics compare favorably to alternative approaches, particularly given Smartlink’s sophistication in evaluating wireless infrastructure investments.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Q1: What is the difference between neutral host and private wireless in the Comcast Business platform?

Neutral host provides enhanced cellular coverage for all major carriers (AT&T, Verizon, T-Mobile) on shared infrastructure, while the private wireless component creates a secure, isolated CBRS network for enterprise applications and IoT devices operating independently of public carrier traffic.

Q2: Why did Smartlink replace its legacy DAS infrastructure with the Comcast Business solution?

The unified platform eliminates the cost and complexity of maintaining separate systems for cellular coverage and enterprise connectivity, consolidating both requirements into a single managed solution with better scalability, lower total cost of ownership, and support for smart-building applications.

Q3: What spectrum does the Comcast Business private wireless platform use?

The platform utilizes Citizens Broadband Radio Service (CBRS) spectrum in the 3.5 GHz band for the private network component. CBRS provides license-by-rule access without the cost of acquiring licensed spectrum, while delivering enterprise-grade performance and security for private applications.

Q4: What types of smart-building applications can run on the private CBRS network?

The platform supports security cameras, remote access control, environmental and occupancy sensors, asset tracking, and digital signage. All applications operate on the secure, isolated private network with guaranteed quality of service, avoiding the performance variability and security concerns of shared Wi-Fi.

Q5: How does Multi-Operator Core Network (MOCN) technology enable neutral host cellular service?

MOCN allows multiple carrier networks to share the same radio access network (RAN) while maintaining separate core network connections. Subscribers from AT&T, Verizon, and T-Mobile connect seamlessly to their respective carrier cores through the shared infrastructure, eliminating the need for separate physical systems.

Q6: Can the Comcast Business platform scale to support additional applications and capacity?

Yes, the cloud-based architecture and modular design enable incremental expansion and modification as requirements evolve. Organizations can start with baseline coverage and capacity, then add new applications, devices, and radio equipment without forklift upgrades or over-provisioning at initial deployment.