ZK Research Spotlight: Rajeev Shah on Redefining Enterprise Networking
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Private 5G coming soon to an enterprise near you!

In this episode of ZKast, ZK Research Founder and Principal Analyst Zeus Kerravala chats with Celona Founder and CEO Rajeev Shah about the growing role of private 5G in the enterprise.
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Zeus and Rajeev start by talking about how the rapid AI advancements over the past year will interplay with private 5G over the next year. Per Nvidia’s CEO Jensen Huang, the next wave of AI will be physical AI – applying AI to real-world sensor data for Industrial IoT.  Every Enterprise CIO/CTO realizes they need to build an AI strategy, and those who are ahead of the curve realize that this strategy will not be possible without rethinking their approach to an ultra-reliable and secure wireless edge – exactly what private 5G delivers.
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The discussion then turns to the debut 2025 Gartner Magic Quadrant for Private Mobile Network Services. This long-awaited MQ has sparked much discussion, particularly as the evaluation focuses on traditional mobile operators offering private wireless as a managed service, and overlooks the growing number of enterprises looking to self-deploy and manage their own private 5G networks – just like they do with Wi-Fi today.
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Looking ahead, Celona is focused on scaling private 5G across industries, expanding its global reach, and capitalizing on neutral host capabilities for in-building cellular coverage - especially in healthcare, hospitality, and higher education. The company’s growing user community, Frequency, is also playing a key role in shaping product direction and driving real-world innovation.