US carrier Verizon has unveiled a portable private network designed to be used in stadiums.

Verizon stated that the 'Network-in-a-Box (NIB)' product provides private connectivity for critical communications needed for operations, security, event production, and the fan experience in stadiums or other venues when a permanent private network is not available.

According to Verizon, the NIB can scale to support up to 50 cellular radios, while it can also utilize shared or licensed spectrum and in-venue or on-premise fiber connections.

The carrier has already used the portable private network prototype at last weekend’s UFL Championship game at the Dome at America's Center in St. Louis, Missouri.

Verizon said it has shipped similar portable private networks to Sao Paulo, Brazil, London, UK, and Munich, Germany, for connectivity support during NFL games. It noted that the NIB was used to "provide reliable connectivity for the NFL game-play operations, enabling real-time, in-game support for on-field coach-to-coach communications at this fall’s overseas football games."

“The evolution of our network over the past several years has enabled us to create a more modular, portable private network that is ideal for use in situations where the security, scale, reliability, customization, and personalization of a private network is needed, but a permanent private network is not a tenable solution,” said Andrea Caldini, vice president of technology and product development at Verizon.

“This prototype solution has already successfully supported a number of live events with more on the horizon. The intrinsic value in this solution is that it can be deployed in any number of scenarios where the capabilities of a private network are needed such as one-time parade routes, mobile production environments, mobile sporting events, outdoor concert venues, and more.”

Verizon said that the product can support both 4G and 5G, and a range of use cases.

The telco also pointed out that its private networks allow for an event or organization's data traffic to be securely separate from public traffic.

Telcos including Vodafone, Virgin Media, and NTT have previously showcased network-in-a-box offerings.