Celona picks Keysight’s Open RAN Architect test solution

Celona has selected Keysight’s Open RAN Architect (KORA) solution portfolio to validate the quality and reliability of 5G private network deployments for enterprises.

Celona is using several Keysight 5G radio access network (RAN) test tools, including:

• Keysight’s user equipment emulation (UEE) test solution (UeSIM) to emulate real network traffic over radio and O-RAN fronthaul interfaces, enabling comprehensive base station performance validation across the protocol stack.
• Keysight's S9130A 5G Performance Multi-Band Vector Transceiver (VXT), a non-signaling measurement system, to accelerate the validation of sub-6GHz and mmWave 5G base stations (gNodeBs) according to the latest 3GPP specifications.

Keysight says its integrated test, validation and optimization tools enable Celona to accelerate the deployment of 5G local area network (LAN) solutions, including access points for indoor and outdoor wireless coverage and cloud-native software powered by artificial intelligence (AI). 

“Keysight is pleased to support Celona in delivering end-to-end networking solutions that seamlessly integrate with existing enterprise networks to simplify private cellular wireless operations and accelerate the adoption of business-critical applications requiring deterministic wireless connectivity,” said Giampaolo Tardioli, vice president and general manager for Keysight's enterprise and service providers group. “Keysight’s test solutions speed industrial device and network validation and certification, network planning, deployment and site acceptance, as well as simplify network monitoring critical in smart manufacturing, energy, utilities, mining, transport and health care.”

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Celona raises $60 million for private cellular

 Celona, a start-up based in Cupertino, California, closed a $60 million Series C financing round for its solutions aimed at bridging the gap between LTE/5G cellular wireless and enterprise IT infrastructures.

Celona says that since launching its integrated 5G LAN platform in November 2020, it has seen strong demand from a range of enterprises, managed service providers and mobile network operators. The company’s customer base includes Verizon, NTT Ltd, SBA Communications, St. Luke’s Hospital System, Purdue Research Foundation, California State University (CSU) Stanislaus, and many other brand-named enterprises.

The lastest funding round led by DigitalBridge Ventures and included participation from all of Celona’s existing investors:  Lightspeed Venture Partners, Norwest Venture Partners, NTTVC, Qualcomm Ventures and Cervin Ventures. The new financing brings Celona’s total capital investment to $100 million. 

"This latest financing round is a strong endorsement of both our existing accomplishments leading the market in 5G network adoption and the tremendous growth prospects still ahead for Celona,” said Rajeev Shah, Co-Founder and CEO of Celona. “We are proud to have the support of a top-tier group of investors, including DigitalBridge leading this financing round. We believe that Celona has all the right pieces in place to build upon our foundation of disruptive innovation and leadership with our 5G LAN technology, particularly with these additional resources to expand our reach and grow our capabilities.”

https://www.celona.io/

• In addition, Celona announced the appointment ofr Robert Mustarde as Senior Vice President of Worldwide Sales. Mustarde most recently held leadership positions at Versa Networks and Ruckus Wireless.

Verizon teams with Celona on Private 5G

Thursday, March 03, 2022  Celona  

Verizon Business will integrate Celona's wireless private networking solution.The strategic partnership will focus on leveraging the power of Verizon’s On Site LTE and 5G network with Celona’s c5G LAN products. The joint offer will deliver an enterprise-friendly approach to private networks that is designed to meet growing demand for the reliable wireless performance, coverage and connectivity required by a new era of network-dependent business applications...

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2022 Predictions from Thought Leaders

Wednesday, January 12, 2022  Predictions  

The following media comprises interviews and other content related to 2022 industry predictions. Views expressed are those of the presenting individuals and companies and may not necessarily represent views of Converge! Network Digest or AvidThink.https://ngi.how/jn-bament-pred-2022https://ngi.how/infinera-pred-2022https://ngi.how/aarna-pred-2022https://ngi.how/ocp-rw-pred-2022https://ngi.how/accedian-pred-2022https://ngi.how/aryaka-pred-2022htt...

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NTT launches Private 5G Network-as-a-Service

Wednesday, August 11, 2021  Private  

NTT is launching a Private 5G platform (P5G) Network-as-a-Service on a globally-available basis.NTT P5G helps enterprises supplement their Wi-Fi connectivity with an integrated, private 5G network running on a cloud-native architecture. The platform can be delivered via cloud, on-premises, or at the edge. The platform is pre-integrated with leading network and software partners, allowing enterprises to secure, scale and segment their network flexibly....

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Celona adds eSIM provisioning for private mobile networks

Sunday, June 27, 2021  Celona  

Celona is supporting enterprise embedded subscriber identity modules (eSIMs) to simplify the provisioning and streamline the management of client devices accessing private mobile networks. By using software-based eSIMs, device provisioning for private mobile networks can be effectively centralized and automated. Enterprise IT staff can now provide users with QR activation codes that once scanned will trigger the secure download and installation...

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Celona: Private Cellular in the Enterprise

Sunday, June 27, 2021  Celona, Private 5G  

https://youtu.be/vr2flgmGEykIT professionals, operational technology leader and enterprise innovation teams each have different requirements that can benefit from Private Mobile Networks. In this video, Özer Dondurmacıoğlu, VP of Marketing at Celona, shares practical lessons learned from his enterprise customers and key business drivers.Solution Demo: Celona Platform and MicroSlicing - https://youtu.be/UD7sS7P3wGoCase Study Video: Real world Performance...

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Private Mobile Networks resource site

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Verizon teams with Celona on Private 5G

Verizon Business will integrate Celona's wireless private networking solution.

The strategic partnership will focus on leveraging the power of Verizon’s On Site LTE and 5G network with Celona’s c5G LAN products. The joint offer will deliver an enterprise-friendly approach to private networks that is designed to meet growing demand for the reliable wireless performance, coverage and connectivity required by a new era of network-dependent business applications and IoT systems. In addition, the solution will also lower the cost barrier for developers, opening new pathways for them to test innovative and transformative applications.

“Today, every organization around the world faces its own unique set of digital transformation challenges, and for businesses to remain competitive, they require new, cutting-edge solutions designed specifically to meet their needs. The partnership we’ve announced today does exactly that. No one is better positioned to leverage the power of private networks than Verizon, and we can’t wait to see our partnership with Celona deliver powerful results for our customers,” said Tami Erwin, CEO, Verizon Business.

“Celona and Verizon have a shared architectural approach and vision for the power that 5G technology has in transforming business operations,” said Rajeev Shah, Co-Founder and CEO of Celona. “We believe that 5G as a network software service, operating within common mobile edge compute environments, will give enterprises the agility they need to truly support their latest digital initiatives.”

https://www.verizon.com/about/news/verizon-business-launches-turn-key-private-networking-solution-celona

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Celona adds eSIM provisioning for private mobile networks

Celona is supporting enterprise embedded subscriber identity modules (eSIMs) to simplify the provisioning and streamline the management of client devices accessing private mobile networks. 

By using software-based eSIMs, device provisioning for private mobile networks can be effectively centralized and automated. Enterprise IT staff can now provide users with QR activation codes that once scanned will trigger the secure download and installation of the requisite SIM profile for a given client device. In live field-testing Celona has demonstrated successful interoperability between its private mobile network platform and leading CBRS-capable devices, such as the Apple iPhone, Apple iPad and the new Zebra T26 touch computer.

“The use of eSIMs represents a significant market shift in advancing how devices are bootstrapped and managed on private cellular networks,” said Mehmet Yavuz, Co-Founder and CTO of Celona. “At Celona we are uniquely focused on simplifying the deployment and streamlining the end-to-end operation of private mobile networks by eliminating many of the friction points that have historically inhibited widespread adoption.”

https://www.celona.io/

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Celona: Private Cellular in the Enterprise

https://youtu.be/vr2flgmGEyk

IT professionals, operational technology leader and enterprise innovation teams each have different requirements that can benefit from Private Mobile Networks. In this video, Özer Dondurmacıoğlu, VP of Marketing at Celona, shares practical lessons learned from his enterprise customers and key business drivers.

Solution Demo: Celona Platform and MicroSlicing - https://youtu.be/UD7sS7P3wGo

Case Study Video: Real world Performance of CBRS based Private LTE with University of California, Santa Barbara - https://youtu.be/5EHRjT9wxfI

Download the 2021 Private Mobile Networks Report here: http://ngi.how/private-networks-2021

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Celona's new Private Mobile platform leverages CBRS, microslicing, AI

Celona, a start-up based in Cupertino, California, unveiled its cellular wireless platform for enterprises. 

Celona’s all-in-one platform, which can leverage  Citizens Broadband Radio Service (CBRS) spectrum in the United States,  integrates network and cellular wireless functions with AI orchestration enabling unprecedented range and predictability of operation to mobile devices and IoT infrastructure deployed within the enterprise.

The idea is to use CBRS-based LTE/5G wireless to open an additional lane of wireless connectivity that operates in clean spectrum, away from interference. Celona says this allows the definition of specific service levels for network metrics such as latency, throughput, jitter and packet error rate. Within a network of wireless access points, mobility events of client devices and their traffic transmissions are always pre-scheduled by the infrastructure – further improving overall predictability.

Product components of Celona’s integrated solution architecture include:

• The Celona RAN: Enterprise-optimized indoor and outdoor CBRS LTE access points that provide up to 25K sqft and 1M sqft of coverage, respectively. Their radio functions are fully automated via Celona software with their power level and frequency channel assignments in the CBRS spectrum and do not require any manual intervention.
• The Celona Edge: Enterprise-ready private LTE/5G core that’s designed to integrate with any existing enterprise network configuration and access control policies. It can be simultaneously deployed on-premises for strict SLA enforcement for local applications and within the private / public / edge clouds for service scalability.
• The Celona Orchestrator: An AIOps platform that enables remote installation of Celona’s access points and Edge software across multiple enterprise sites and allows for provisioning of Celona SIM cards against required device level access control policies within the enterprise network. It goes beyond basic monitoring of infrastructure components and keeps track of application- and device-specific key performance indicators for Celona MicroSlicing – enabling IT teams to maintain laser focus on digital service delivery and business outcomes.

Celona also announced strategic resale partnership with Aruba, a Hewlett Packard Enterprise company, covering its entire line of products.

“CBRS is a game changer, but it is only one piece of the puzzle. Enterprises need a packaged solution to take full advantage of cellular wireless within the context of their existing IT framework,” said Mehmet Yavuz, CTO of Celona. “Our unique approach provides organizations a clear path to easily adopt LTE wireless today, and 5G in the future, while maintaining complete control over the network and the data running over it.”

“Our customers are demanding additional connectivity options and spectrum to support specific digital initiatives being deployed within their organizations,” said Jeff Lipton, VP of Strategy and Corporate Development at Aruba, a Hewlett Packard Enterprise company. “Our partnership with Celona is designed to directly address these demands and reflects a shared vision that enterprises need a viable 5G strategy that complements existing investments in enterprise wireless.”

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Celona raises $30 million for private LTE/5G

Celona recently closed a $30 million Series B round of funding backing its LTE/5G enterprise networking solutions.

Celona is developing its solution that fully automates the deployment and operations of private LTE/5G wireless networks within the enterprise. Celona said its AI-ops based architecture enables the integration of cellular wireless functions with existing enterprise IT and cloud infrastructure as an overlay. 

The round was led by NTTVC and Qualcomm Ventures LLC with participation from Celona’s initial investors: Lightspeed Venture Partners, Norwest Venture Partners and Cervin Ventures. The company has raised $40 million to date.

“Our goal at Celona is to usher in a new era of enterprise services and applications leveraging 5G and give enterprises their own private mobile networks,” said Rajeev Shah, CEO and co-founder, Celona. “Our collaboration with NTTVC and Qualcomm Ventures validates our view that making 5G technology fully accessible to the enterprise will have a transformational impact on the future of networking.”

“As new cellular spectrum for private mobile networks is being made available around the world, we are excited to partner with Celona’s founding team to accelerate adoption of 5G for enterprises and operators,” said Vab Goel, founding partner at NTTVC. “With Celona, enterprises can deploy a mobile-first network, enabling new, real-time applications powering the future of enterprise connectivity.”  

https://www.celona.io/

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Celona tests performance edge with CBRS enterprise cellular

Celona, a start-up based in Cupertino, California, is reporting impressive performance results in beta testing of its cellular wireless network solution for enterprises which uses interference-free and clean spectrum offered by CBRS.

Celona's platform creates a dedicated, wireless “express lane” for mission-critical business applications over a private cellular network. The company says its solution is undergoing beta testing at eight new sites including logistics environments, industrial shipping yards, global retail locations and other challenging wireless environments.

Each of the beta sites is deploying Celona’s end-to-end solution. The company has not yet formally announced its products.

Celona said its solution was recently deployed at a music festival held in Las Vegas on December 5, 2019. Applications requiring uninterrupted connectivity at such an event could include Point of Sale (PoS) systems for food, drink and merchandise, RFID scanning, video security and more. Leveraging staff-operated iPhones for performance testing, there were several locations where data rates under 1Mbps were recorded for the public LTE network performance due to an increasing number of music fans in attendance at the event. Celona’s enterprise cellular network in the CBRS spectrum was able to deliver download speeds greater than 25Mbps for the same set of devices, with latency metrics also improving 200x.

“The FCC’s recent decision to allow full-scale commercial deployments in the CBRS band is very timely given the outstanding response Celona has seen to its own end-to-end offering,” said Dr. Mehmet Yavuz, CTO and co-founder at Celona. “Enterprise IT teams across industries want CBRS spectrum to enable a new express lane of communication for business-owned and staff-operated mobile and IoT infrastructure. Low latency and high-reliability operation for relevant applications with the use of private LTE is a key requirement, in addition to simplified deployment and operations.”

In addition to its beta program, Celona cites momentum in the burgeoning Citizen Broadband Radio Service (CBRS)  market by building new partnerships with Cradlepoint and working with global channel partners including World Wide Technology.

http://www.celona.io

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