Higher Education Campus
Private 5G for Connected Campuses
How a 12,000-student university built a secure, AI-ready campus network — with research traffic that never touches the public internet.
The Challenge
One network, incompatible needs
A 12,000-student university needed secure research network separation, AR/VR learning labs, autonomous campus delivery robots, smart classrooms, an outdoor Wi-Fi replacement, and emergency response communications — all at once. Its existing Wi-Fi network was struggling with congestion, security vulnerabilities, poor mobility handoffs, and high management overhead.
The Solution
One private 5G network, cleanly partitioned
The university deployed EdgeNectar CompactOne systems on outdoor poles across campus, plus indoor labs and stadium coverage, with a built-in 5G core kept on-site for data sovereignty. The network supports 400 concurrent users per cell, with dedicated resources split between research and student traffic, and static IP support for lab devices.
Dedicated network resources were carved out for the medical research lab, the engineering robotics program, and campus security, with student broadband access kept fully isolated from the research network — all managed through an integrated NMS for the university’s IT team.
Results
Campus impact
The network also unlocked new campus capability — AI surveillance, smart parking, smart energy systems, and drone research programs — positioning the university as an “AI & 5G Digital Innovation Campus” and helping attract research funding and technology partnerships.
Want results like this?
Tell us about your site and we’ll show you what EdgeNectar can do.