Verizon picked Lake Nona as a real-world place to test 5G. Here's what the hub is, where it is, and what has actually been tried there.

Verizon 5G Innovation Hub inside ms2 Lab in Lake Nona Town Center

By David Myers, Broker Associate · NonaOrlandoProperties.com · Last updated September 2026

The Verizon 5G Innovation Hub in Lake Nona is a Verizon Business space for building and testing applications on Verizon's 5G Ultra Wideband network. It opened on November 17, 2020, following a January 2020 partnership between Verizon and Lake Nona. The hub is located in ms2 Lab, the 16,000-square-foot innovation space on the ground floor of the Pixon building in Lake Nona Town Center, which it shares with the leAD Lake Nona Sports & Health Tech Accelerator. Early pilots connected 5G to Lake Nona's autonomous shuttles and to health-care projects with the Orlando VA Medical Center, the UCF College of Medicine and Nemours Children's Hospital. At its opening, Verizon operated five similar hubs in the U.S. and one in London.

Lots of cities have 5G. Few have a 5G lab where companies can test ideas on real streets, with real shuttles and real hospitals. Lake Nona got one in November 2020, when Verizon Business opened its 5G Innovation Hub in Town Center.

Our earlier post on the hub got the opening year wrong and filled in a lot of speculation. Here's the verified version: what it is, where it is, and what it has been used for.

What Is the Verizon 5G Innovation Hub in Lake Nona?

It's a Verizon Business space where companies and partners build and test applications on Verizon's 5G Ultra Wideband network, using Lake Nona itself as the test environment.

Verizon and Lake Nona announced their partnership in January 2020. The hub opened on November 17, 2020. When it opened, Verizon ran five similar innovation hubs in the U.S. and one in London. A Verizon executive said at the time that Lake Nona was chosen partly because the community could make decisions and put new technology in place quickly.

Where Is the Verizon 5G Innovation Hub?

The hub is in ms2 Lab, the 16,000-square-foot innovation space on the ground floor of the Pixon building in Lake Nona Town Center.

It shares ms2 Lab with the leAD Lake Nona Sports & Health Tech Accelerator and the HiveLabs makerspace. Indoor Verizon 5G was built into ms2 from the start, so startups working there can develop on the network directly.

What Has Been Tested at the Hub?

The hub's early pilots focused on mobility and health care: 5G connections for Lake Nona's autonomous shuttles, and projects with the Orlando VA Medical Center, the UCF College of Medicine and Nemours Children's Hospital.

Verizon 5G Innovation Hub display in Lake Nona

On the transportation side, Tavistock described shuttle riders getting live information about their stop, route changes and events nearby. That was the Move Nona shuttle network run by Beep. On the health-care side, pilots with Medical City institutions explored health-care delivery, including moving COVID-19 samples between facilities.

The idea behind the hub is that a planned community with hospitals, shuttles, sports facilities and residents in one place gives developers a better test than a closed lab.

Who Can Use the Verizon 5G Innovation Hub?

The hub serves entrepreneurs and companies developing 5G applications, and at launch it also promised community members early access to new technology.

It isn't a walk-in store or a public showroom. Companies work with Verizon Business to use the hub, and residents are more likely to see its results in the community, like shuttle information or pilot programs, than to visit the hub itself.

What Does the 5G Hub Mean for Lake Nona?

The hub is part of the tech infrastructure behind Lake Nona's “living lab” pitch, alongside a community-wide 5G network with Verizon.

For residents the practical benefit is strong connectivity. For the community, the hub is one more reason technology companies consider Lake Nona a place to try things first. See the full picture in our Lake Nona tech and innovation guide.

Pros, Cons and Our Take

Pros

  • A national carrier's innovation hub in Lake Nona Town Center
  • Early pilots tied 5G to real community services: shuttles and hospitals
  • Adds to Lake Nona's appeal for tech startups, alongside ms2 Lab and leAD

Cons

  • Not open to the public; residents see results, not the hub
  • Verizon publishes little about current projects at the hub

Our Take

The Verizon hub is best understood as infrastructure, not an attraction. It's one of the pieces that makes Lake Nona's “test it here first” reputation credible, and it's a good fit with ms2 Lab's startup community.

What the Neighbors Know

Residents mostly experience the hub indirectly, through a strong 5G signal and the pilot projects that show up around Town Center and Medical City. For tech-minded buyers, it's one more sign of how seriously Lake Nona takes connectivity.

Official Sources

Buying or selling in Lake Nona? Call/Text David Myers at 407.801.3286 or use the contact form.

Frequently Asked Questions

When did the Verizon 5G Innovation Hub open in Lake Nona?

The Verizon 5G Innovation Hub opened on November 17, 2020, following a partnership between Verizon and Lake Nona announced in January 2020.

Where is the Verizon 5G Innovation Hub in Lake Nona?

The hub is in ms2 Lab, on the ground floor of the Pixon building in Lake Nona Town Center, which it shares with the leAD Lake Nona Sports & Health Tech Accelerator.

What does the Verizon 5G Innovation Hub do?

It gives companies a place to build and test applications on Verizon's 5G Ultra Wideband network in a real community. Early pilots involved Lake Nona's autonomous shuttles and health-care projects with the Orlando VA Medical Center, the UCF College of Medicine and Nemours Children's Hospital.

Can the public visit the Verizon 5G Innovation Hub?

The hub is a working space for companies and partners, not a public showroom. Residents are more likely to see its results in pilot programs around Lake Nona.