Federated Wireless says it’s completed the roll-out of its first Environmental Sensing Capability (ESC) network. This will enable initial commercial deployment of the Citizens Broadband Radio Service, and follows closely on the heels of FCC certification of the Federated Wireless ESC received on April 29.
Chris DePuy, founder and technology analyst at 650 Group, called the news an historic milestone in CBRS and one the industry has been working toward since 2012.
“The promise of CBRS is now a reality and will bring much-needed wireless performance and capacity increases to a range of users nationwide,” said DePuy.
Shared spectrum delivers the best attributes of traditional wireless and WiFi, with “lower fixed costs, higher quality and greater efficiency and scale,” according to the company. The 150 MHz available in the 3.5 GHz CBRS band is divided into three tiers of service dedicated to:
- Incumbents (including the U.S. Navy)
- Priority Access Licenses (PALs)
- General Authorized Access
“I am extremely pleased with what we have been able to achieve in such a short time, and am eager to begin the next phase of CBRS service development and expansion,” said Federated Wireless President/CEO Iyad Tarazi.
The newly-completed Federated Wireless ESC network helps ensure that incumbent transmissions are interference-free, while the Federated Wireless Spectrum Controller dynamically allocates spectrum to users in all three tiers. The ESC network is made up of dedicated, purpose-built sensors placed along U.S. coastlines and designed to accurately and rapidly detect federal incumbent transmissions in the 3.5 GHz band.
Founded in 2012, Federated Wireless took a lead role in the formation of the CBRS Alliance. The company’s partner ecosystem includes more than 40 device manufacturers and edge partners, all of which are dedicated to collaboration to advance development and proliferation of CBRS services.
The CBRS market is in a state of growth, with certification and automation planned later this year and licensed spectrum expected to be made available in early 2020.
May 14, 2019
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