The network under the park: our new partner Wifinity on private 5G

About this episode

Kendal Stacey, Account Director at Wifinity, joins Dave McRobbie for the latest In Good Company, recorded at XP Hospitality Edinburgh. Wifinity is one of our newest partners, and this episode is a straight conversation about the network that sits under every park’s systems.

Every park runs on a network most guests never think about. It is the plumbing under the PMS, the EPOS and the guest apps, and it is often where a digital plan quietly stalls.

The network is the plumbing

Dave and Kendal start with the money. Parks put budget into the PMS, the F&B systems and the EPOS, but the connection underneath them gets less attention. Kendal explains why that matters: if the network is weak, the apps guests use every day cannot do their job.

What is private 5G?

Kendal explains private 5G as a dedicated 5G network for your own area, designed around your site. Unlike a mast or a fibre run dug across the park, it can reach vans and venues across the whole park without digging up the ground.

One signal, Wi-Fi everywhere

Wi-Fi needs line of sight, and it takes three access points to cover a full 360 degrees. 5G is omnidirectional, so one signal can cover the park, then convert to Wi-Fi in the van or venue.

Start with the questions

Kendal makes the case for starting with questions before any technology decision. What do you want the network to do, and who is it for? Once those answers are clear, the park’s geography and the right solution follow.

“You need to have the basics right.”

Kendal Stacey, Account Director, Wifinity

The basics come first

Many parks are still running infrastructure that is five or ten years old, just keeping the lights on. Kendal’s point is that the basics need to be right before a park adds more tech. Smart vans, sensors and guest access all depend on the network working first.