Proof, perhaps, that the private 5G market is getting busier with equipment vendors both big and small: amid all the enterprise-5G focus at MWC Las Vegas this week, US-based Wilson Electronics, a maker of signal repeaters for residential and enterprise customers, stuck out a press release to say it has a new private 5G and DAS combination system in the offing. Indeed, so taken is the firm with its new cellular network solution that it has rebranded its whole business; it is now called Wilson Connectivity, apparently, and is pitching squarely to global enterprises.
Wilson Electronics (Connectivity) makes the WilsonPro, weBoost, and Zinwave lines of in-building wireless repeater products. It calls itself a “leader in cellular signal connectivity technology”. It holds over 265 patents, issued or pending, it says. The firm has manufacturing locations in the US and the UK. Its press notice at MWC Las Vegas said its rebrand “underscores [its] commitment to enhancing wireless connectivity for businesses and government entities globally”. The new product works across the “entire 5G spectrum”, it said; citing its viability in the 150MHz-5GHz range.
The new product, called Private 5G by Wilson Connectivity, integrates hybrid and active distributed antenna system (DAS) technology, it said – with “cutting-edge capabilities, security, and control”. It went on: “This innovative approach allows customers to… support both public and private networks on a unified, power-efficient, and future-ready wireless infrastructure.” James Martin, senior vice president of engineering at the firm, said it will deliver an “uninterrupted flow of communication and data in the world’s most challenging connectivity environments”.
As such, it is pitching to industrial sectors, too, noting the overlap between private 5G and industrial IoT in enterprise environments. “Demand for the benefits of 5G connectivity is rapidly increasing… as IoT applications for monitoring and automation become more prevalent,” it said. The new combi-product “lowers the cost of integrating and managing multiple networks”, and allows enterprises to roll out new private 5G technology for “outdoor and indoor applications”. It has a remote management system for access control, performance analytics, and issue resolution.
The firm is selling the new private-5G/DAS solution via “thousands” of contractors, system integrators, and engineering consultants, it said.
Bruce Lancaster, chief executive at Wilson Connectivity, said: “Combining the power of our DAS solutions with the capabilities of private 5G is a true game-changer. Now our customers can support public and private networks on Wilson’s unique DAS solution that can distribute RF sources from 150 MHz to 5 GHz, making the benefits of private 5G available to more customers who are searching for wireless alternatives to Wi-Fi.”
