The Samsung 64T64R CBRS Massive MIMO radio operates over the entire CBRS spectrum with an IBW of 150MHz
Samsung delivered its first Federal Communication Commission-certified, 5G-ready CBRS massive MIMO solution in July of 2019. The solution, based on the 3GPP Release 15 standard, is capable of delivering fixed wireless access internet service to rural and suburban areas, which are notorious hard to cover due to challenging topography and geographical constraints.
Samsung has now announced that it is expanded the commercial availability of its CBRS network solution to further close the connectivity gap, citing the “new normal” of working and learning from home as an additional motivator behind the expansion.
In a blog on the Samsung website, Sanjay Kodali, head of customer technology solutions, Networks Division, Samsung Electronics America wrote that CBRS can provide a solution for those communities still being left out when it comes to adequate connectivity.
“After launching late last year with Samsung CBRS solutions in use across multiple rural U.S. markets,” Kodali wrote, “the company has expanded the commercial availability of its CBRS solutions to all mobile operators. Samsung’s CBRS solutions in the mid-band 3.5 GHz spectrum are now providing operators with a fixed wireless access approach for rural areas to deliver service from a cell site to otherwise hard-to-reach homes and businesses.”
He also said that by leveraging their existing cellular sites, operators can add new radios to deliver wireless internet services, offering a more cost-effective approach than cable or fiber-based solutions, which can be more time-consuming and costly.
Specifically, Samsung’s CBRS solution leverages the maximum Instantaneous Bandwidth (IBW) and Occupied Bandwidth (OBW) specifications, which, according to Kodali, improves flexibility and reduces hardware investments.
Further, the company’s 64T64R CBRS Massive MIMO radio operates over the entire CBRS spectrum with an IBW of 150 megahertz. The massive MIMO unit can simultaneously transmit up to 100 megahertz of OBW, with a combination of 10 and 20-megahertz carriers or spectrum bandwidth across the entire CBRS band.
“Through use of IBW and OBW, Samsung’s 64T64R solution maximizes cell capacity and coverage to help operators reach more homes and businesses, while improving service levels,” he wrote.
AT&T was the first mobile operator to express interest in Samsung’s CBRS solution, announcing in 2018 its intent to utilize the solution in rural locations.
