CBRS Alliance pushing for Q4 commercial deployments
While it continues to debate rules governing priority access licenses for the 3.5 GHz Citizens Broadband Radio Service band, the U.S. Federal Communications Commission in July put out a call to authorized spectrum access system administrators to propose initial commercial deployments. SAS administrator Federated Wireless, a driving force behind CBRS, today submitted an answer that contemplates 16,000 sites in 47 sites and Washington D.C.
Access to the CBRS band will be governed by a three-tier spectrum access system, with incumbents at the top, priority access licenses in the middle and general authorized access at the bottom. The questions around PAL licenses center around licensure term and geographic coverage area.
Federated’s proposal outlines participation from 15 partners, including American Tower, ARRIS, Charter Communications and ExteNet Systems. The company says its deployment plan can help more than 80 fixed wireless providers expand service, and noted commercial equipment from companies Airspan, Ericsson, Ruckus and Telrad.
Federated Wireless President and CEO Iyad Tarazi highlighted how shared spectrum facilitates a new approach to wireless. “Businesses can now access shared spectrum to not only introduce new services and create new business models, but solve decades old challenges, such as improving wireless connectivity indoors and outdoors, and closing the digital divide.
Federated is also launching a Certified Professional Installer Training Program as it relates to CBRS equipment. The online certification program is set to launch toward the end of the October, which corresponds with when Federated expects the FCC to take action on proposals for initial commercial deployments. The FCC requires outdoor CBRS equipment be installed by CPIs “to ensure accurate SAS operations,” according to the company.
“This is gigantic,” Joe Madden, president and principal analyst of Mobile Experts, said, comparing launch plans for CBRS to early operator small cell implementations. “CBRS is turning out to be a diverse sandbox, with participation by players in at least five different business models: mobile operators, MVNOs, neutral host players, private LTE, and fixed wireless access.”
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