14 January 2026
Antevia Networks has announced the successful deployment of its 5G Shift end-to-end private network at Bath Rugby’s historic Recreation Ground, marking a significant milestone in making high-performance 5G solutions accessible for large venues. 
The new network delivers reliable, low-cost connectivity across the stadium and fan zones, supporting a range of critical applications on match days, from operational communications to fan engagement and safety systems.
Traditionally, deploying private 5G networks has been hampered by high costs and complex installations involving major vendors and specialized telecoms integrators. Antevia’s 5G Shift technology aims to overcome these barriers by offering superior performance to legacy Wi-Fi and congested public networks, with fewer access points needed. Powered by patented multiplexing and Shared Cell technologies, the network requires no RF planning, can be rapidly deployed, and is as manageable as enterprise Wi-Fi—easily handled by existing IT teams.
The stadium hosts up to 14,500 spectators, who previously experienced severe congestion on public Wi-Fi and macro cellular networks—disrupting Point-of-Sale transactions, slowing service, and impacting revenue. What began as a project to stabilize retail connectivity has expanded into a broader solution supporting various operational and commercial needs, including point-of-sale terminals for food and merchandise, push-to-talk communication for staff, CCTV and body-worn cameras for crowd safety, VIP connectivity, media access for journalists, and digital signage delivering real-time content.
Simon Cosgrove, CEO of Antevia Networks, highlighted the practical benefits of the deployment. “Bath Rugby’s Recreation Ground exemplifies how simple, scalable, and cost-effective private 5G can deliver real-world value,” he said. “Our 5G Shift provides comprehensive coverage with ultra-low latency at a low price, without the complexities usually associated with private cellular deployments.” Cosgrove expressed pride in supporting Bath Rugby with a network that performs reliably even at full capacity, emphasizing the potential for expanding use cases to further enhance operational and commercial outcomes.
Stuart Waine, Director at Spry Fox Networks, which partnered with Antevia on the project, praised the solution’s impact. “Antevia’s 5G Private Network has given us a stable, reliable platform to support staff, incident management, and medical teams,” he stated. “It has also elevated the fan experience. We look forward to deploying this innovative technology with other clients as part of our growth strategy.”
Built on O-RAN standards and commercial off-the-shelf hardware, Antevia’s virtualized RAN architecture uses patented multiplexing to present all radios as a single Shared 5G cell, eliminating handover issues and reducing access points—sometimes to as few as one-tenth of those needed for Wi-Fi. The easy-to-design, fast-to-deploy, and simple-to-operate network opens new opportunities for SMEs and smaller venues to access enterprise-grade 5G, creating new markets for channel partners and system integrators to deliver IoT solutions that were previously cost-prohibitive.
