Resound Networks, a wireless internet service provider based in Pampa, TX, is partnering with Tarana, a Milpitas, CA-based supplier of next generation fixed wireless access (ngFWA) systems and FiberLight, a fiber infrastructure provider headquartered in Alpharetta, GA, to bring high-speed internet access to unserved and underserved communities in southeast Texas. Resound Networks currently provides coverage to over 300,000 homes in eastern New Mexico, the Texas Panhandle, western Oklahoma, and Brown County, TX. Central tower systems exist in Hobbs, NM as well as in Pampa, Lubbock, Wheeler, Shamrock and Wellington, TX.
The company has plans to expand its network coverage to multiple neighboring states beginning in 2022, funded in part by the $311 million awarded to the company in the FCC’s Rural Digital Opportunity Fund (RDOF) auction.
After year-long field trials, Resound revamped its network expansion strategy, opting to use Tarana’s G1 ngFWA platform in a majority of its base station sites. The G1 expands coverage area from a base station thereby requiring fewer towers and its compact size and weight enables rapid deployment. The G1 is designed to deliver download speeds of close to 1 Gbps.
Chadd Giles, Resound’s founder and CTO, comments, “We’ve been very impressed by G1’s performance in the field and Tarana’s engagement with us. We’re excited about the acceleration of our buildout and the new competitive capabilities it’s enabling.”
Tarana’s founder and CTO, Dale Branlund, adds, “We’re thrilled to see Resound bringing to life new possibilities with G1 — especially with such speed and scale. We’re looking forward to supporting their network build and subscriber growth in the coming months and years.”
FiberLight’s new 100G (100 Gbps) fiber ring from Houston to Dallas will provide backhaul for Resound’s extensive FWA network build and high-speed connectivity to two large data centers, one in Dallas and the other in Houston, that will support Resound’s expanded service offerings.
This combined FWA and fiber deployment is expected to yield substantial improvements in Resound’s plan to fulfill RDOF commitments and bring competition to critically unserved and underserved rural and suburban communities in a 46,000 square mile area around Houston, Austin, San Antonio, Victoria, and Corpus Christi.
RDOF funding has created an opportunity for companies like Resound to enter new markets to bridge this divide. FiberLight, with its existing high-bandwidth fiber infrastructure and experience in helping companies effectively use their funding, is positioned to support WISPs like Resound in bringing new broadband services to these communities.
“We are pleased that our partnership with Resound is helping them serve their customers in these new markets who have a pressing need for capacity. Using a provider like FiberLight that already has the infrastructure, expertise, and experience enables [WISPs] like Resound to bring service to market quickly and economically,” says Chris Rabii, FiberLight CEO.
“FiberLight has been a trusted partner to help us enter new markets to meet the growing demand for high-capacity services for our customers,” remarks Tyson Curtis, CEO at Resound. “By working with FiberLight, we can stay focused on giving our customers high-quality connectivity and service excellence to ensure their satisfaction.”
By John Celentano, Inside Towers Business Editor
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