Federated Wireless is working with Amazon Web Services (AWS) on a private cellular deployment with California Polytechnic State University (Cal Poly) to support the university’s new ‘5G innovation network’, geared to “accelerate” adoption of edge and cloud IoT networking and AI analytics for public sector organisations. The work is part of a broader go-to-market deal between Federated Wireless and AWS, where the former’s managed 5G service for enterprises is available in the latter’s cloud shop-front, together with its stable of edge and cloud services.
The Federated Wireless offer, called Private Wireless Network for Your Enterprise, offers a “turnkey private wireless solution”, from design to operation, according to the marketing talk. The arrangement with AWS says the duo will “build, deploy, and manage private networks, and accelerate digital transformation… across industries”. They reckon they can deploy a network, in the US CBRS band, “in a matter of weeks”. Alongside the design-consultancy, and engineering-build, they are offering sundry radio knowhow to support continuing network operations.
Cal Poly bills itself as a “leader in digital transformation”. The Cal Poly installation – at its Digital Transformation Hub (DxHub) (“powered by AWS”) on its campus in San Luis Obispo in California – is based on the AWS Snowcone service proposition. It will advance connectivity to support practical academic research, they said. The DxHub is described as a cloud-based facility, in fact, supposed to “solve real world challenges” via the promotion of sensing and sense-making technologies in central-cloud and edge-cloud environments.
A statement said: “The university can leverage the cloud-based advantages of [5G in shared CBRS spectrum]… to advance cutting-edge projects and research. Faculty and students across disciplines are currently working on a construction management project to pilot the use of a digital twin for the campus. Other opportunities include smart greenhouses, autonomous farming, and various data-intensive projects. The multi-tenancy capabilities of private wireless ensure the solution can partition private network resources for different requirements and user groups.”
The point is easy scalability, high reliability, and remote access, they said. “The 5G private wireless solution is designed to deliver secure, reliable connectivity in highly remote environments where last-mile connectivity has traditionally been the greatest barrier to deploying innovative new applications and devices,” they said. Federated Wireless is part of AWS software vendor (ISV) accelerator, presented as a “co-sell” scheme for AWS partners offering software solutions on AWS.
Bill Britton, vice president for IT services and chief information officer at Cal Poly, commented: “Cal Poly continues to lead in the development of a digital campus. We’re driving innovation for smart buildings and smart agriculture by introducing new devices and applications, and now we have a more reliable way to get data from point A to point B. Federated Wireless and AWS are giving us the 5G backbone to make the digital campus a reality. Our work is all about learning-by-doing, ensuring [everyone] has access to the latest tech to advance research and innovation.”
Iyad Tarazi,chief executive at Federated Wireless, said: “Private wireless is a major piece of the puzzle for enterprises to realise the massive potential of IoT and cloud automation. Our work with AWS is about giving customers the easiest path to get started with private wireless while creating seamless, supported integrations. We are proud to streamline this offering for entities that are eager to get started with private wireless and 5G.”
Sameer Vuyyuru, head of worldwide business development for the telco industry at AWS, said: “Our customers want simple, fast, and dedicated wireless connectivity to enable their mission-critical applications. [This] combination… with Federated Wireless… helps simplify the process to build, deploy and manage private wireless networks, making it easier for more customers to realise the benefits.”
