Organizing an event with no stable internet is a risk no event planner takes lightly. Whether it is a seminar, an expo, or a charity gala with live streaming, connectivity is as elemental as electricity today. That is why there is bonded cellular internet rental—a practical solution for keeping attendees, exhibitors, and workers online without depending upon venue networks which are bound to fail when stretched.
Reliable cell phone coverage is no longer a luxury—it’s a necessity for work, travel, and daily life. Yet, many cities still struggle with dropped calls, slow data, and congested networks. Two powerful online tools, CellMapper.net and DeadCellZones.com, give users the ability to identify weak coverage, track dead zones, and influence network improvements in specific neighborhoods.
The 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles will be one of the most connected events in history, attracting millions of visitors, athletes, and media from around the globe. With demand for seamless mobile coverage at an all-time high, wireless carriers will need to significantly improve 5G infrastructure citywide. Here’s where LA must focus its upgrades to ensure a gold-medal connectivity performance.
1. Olympic Venue Clusters
Venues will be the epicenter of high data demand. Crowds will be livestreaming, posting, and using augmented reality features simultaneously. To handle the load, carriers should deploy small cells, mmWave hotspots, and edge computing nodes across:
Exposition Park & USC – Home to the LA Memorial Coliseum, BMO Stadium, and the Swim Stadium, requiring dense small cell networks.
Inglewood – SoFi Stadium and Intuit Dome already have strong coverage, but will need portable COWs (Cell on Wheels) for event days.
Downtown LA – Crypto.com Arena and the Convention Center will require indoor Distributed Antenna Systems (DAS) to handle heavy traffic.
Long Beach Waterfront – Temporary aquatic venues will need portable tower deployments along the shoreline.
2. Transportation Hubs & Corridors
Connectivity must be uninterrupted for millions traveling between venues, hotels, and attractions. Priority upgrades include:
LAX Airport – Integrating mmWave 5G into the Automated People Mover and terminals for seamless arrivals.
Union Station & Metro Rail Lines – Low-band 5G coverage in underground sections for commuters and tourists.
Freeway Corridors – Macro and roadside tower enhancements along the I-10, I-405, and US-101 to reduce drops during high travel days.
3. Tourist & High-Traffic Zones
Beyond sports venues, LA’s iconic destinations will see unprecedented crowds during the Olympics. Key areas needing network density improvements:
Hollywood & Highland – Beamforming and mmWave deployments to handle photo and video uploads in dense crowds.
Santa Monica Pier & Venice Beach – Salt-air resistant small cells to provide stable service in coastal conditions.
Griffith Observatory & Park – Elevated macro sites to overcome terrain challenges.
4. Media & Broadcast Centers
Media operations will depend on low-latency, high-bandwidth links for live event coverage. This means:
International Broadcast Center (IBC) – Dedicated network slices to support live 4K/8K streaming.
Remote Commentary Locations – Portable mmWave units for scenic stand-up broadcasts.
5. Rural & Secondary Venues
Not all Olympic events will happen in central LA. Mountain biking, canoeing, and other competitions may take place in remote locations. Carriers should plan for:
Temporary high-capacity 5G towers.
Mid-band spectrum deployment for extended range without losing performance.
The Bottom Line
For Los Angeles to deliver a world-class connected experience during the LA28 Olympics, carriers must go beyond standard coverage. Strategic 5G upgrades — from dense small cell deployments and mmWave hotspots to edge computing and network slicing — will be essential to meeting the extraordinary connectivity demands of the Games.
5G promised gigabit speeds, ultra-low latency, and a new era of connectivity. But for millions of users, especially in rural communities and large buildings, dead zones never went away. Now, with 6G cellular on the horizon, the question is whether this next-generation network can finally deliver.
Smarter Networks, Not Just Faster
While 5G focused on raw speed, 6G’s pitch is about AI-native networks—systems that automatically adapt to location, device, and environmental conditions. This could mean fewer coverage blind spots, as the network learns to route and boost signals where users need them most.
Satellites in the Standard
6G will integrate non-terrestrial networks (NTN)—direct satellite-to-phone links—from day one. This could bring connectivity to remote valleys, ships at sea, and disaster areas without extra hardware. It’s a major step beyond 5G’s limited satellite trials.
Better Indoor and Urban Coverage
Using sub-terahertz spectrum and reconfigurable intelligent surfaces (RIS), 6G aims to push signals into urban canyons and deep inside buildings. RIS technology can reflect and shape radio waves, potentially eliminating dead spots in skyscraper districts, stadiums, and malls.
Near-Instant Latency
5G targeted 1 ms latency but rarely achieved it for consumers. 6G promises 0.1 ms latency, unlocking real-time applications like holographic conferencing, autonomous vehicle coordination, and mission-critical robotics—even in previously marginal coverage areas.
Built-In Sensing
6G networks will include RF sensing, enabling them to detect motion, presence, and environmental changes without GPS or extra sensors. This could allow networks to detect coverage disruptions and fix them on the fly.
Security and Sustainability
With quantum-safe encryption and energy-aware protocols, 6G aims to be more secure and greener than 5G. Lower power use could make it economically viable to expand coverage to rural regions where operating costs are a barrier today.
5G vs 6G at a Glance
Feature
5G
6G
Goal
Faster speeds
AI-adaptive coverage
Coverage
Terrestrial towers
Terrestrial + satellite (NTN)
Indoor Gaps
Persistent
RIS + sub-THz fixes
Latency
~1 ms
~0.1 ms
Sensing
Limited
Built-in RF sensing
What It Means for Dead Zones
If 6G’s features live up to their potential, today’s dead zones could become rare. With satellite integration, adaptive AI routing, and advanced indoor coverage tools, carriers will have fewer excuses for gaps. But as with 5G, the real proof will come from crowdsourced coverage maps—not carrier marketing.
Follow 6G developments and help map real-world coverage by reporting your dead zones on DeadCellZones.com.
The next leap in wireless—6G—isn’t just about faster speeds. It’s about erasing coverage gaps entirely. That won’t happen with cell towers alone. The solution is non-terrestrial networks (NTN)—low-Earth orbit (LEO) satellites, high-altitude platforms, and direct-to-device (D2D) technologies that merge with terrestrial 5G/6G.
The standards are already maturing through 3GPP Releases 17 and 18 (adding NTN support for New Radio and IoT), with Release 19 work underway. These will feed directly into 6G deployments.
As the world begins to settle into the era of 5G, researchers and telecom companies are already envisioning the next great leap—6G, the sixth generation of wireless technology. Scheduled to roll out commercially in the early 2030s, 6G promises to go far beyond faster speeds. Its bold vision centers on ubiquitous cellular connectivity, ensuring that every person, device, and environment is continuously and seamlessly connected.
While 5G has improved bandwidth, reliability, and latency, it still faces gaps—particularly in rural areas, at sea, or in disaster zones. 6G aims to close these gaps with a mix of advanced technologies, global coverage strategies, and intelligent network design.
Phantom coverage occurs when a carrier’s map shows service in a location but users still experience weak signal, slow data, or dropped calls. This guide explores how Starlink can identify and solve these gaps to win over dissatisfied mobile customers.
The wireless industry is already looking beyond 5G to the next major advancement: 6G. While 5G networks are still expanding globally, 6G is expected to revolutionize how we connect by offering ultra-high speeds, extremely low latency, and advanced use cases in AI, automation, and immersive experiences.
