US Vendor provides comprehensive toolkit coupled with peace of mind.
Regional, rural and tribal operators in the U.S. occupy a vital niche, providing American consumers and businesses with the connectivity they need in areas that are underserved by Tier 1 players. But, just like their larger counterparts, smaller carriers face increasing costs, stagnant ARPU and pressure to provide cutting-edge network services and experiences.
Some of these carriers have worked with Chinese telecom infrastructure vendors to deploy their networks and, given ongoing geo-political turmoil, federal government officials may task these carriers with ripping out existing network gear and replacing it. In fact, the U.S. Senate is considering the United States 5G Leadership Act of 2019 which, among other things, could provide federal funding of up to $1Bn to carriers facing a rip-and-replace.
While this situation is still evolving, it’s imperative for regional and rural operators to carefully consider their options in an effort to meet federal guidelines, provide service continuity to their customers and select a vendor partner with a radio portfolio designed for rapid, flexible deployment while still keeping in mind the eventual need to transition from LTE to 5G.
To the rapid deployment point, Sprint, as part of its next-generation network plan, has deployed tens of thousands of Airspan outdoor strand-mounted small cells and hundreds of thousands of Magic Boxes within its footprint for LTE using 2.5GHz, for which the companies won the prestigious GLOMO award in 2018 for best mobile breakthrough. In addition earlier this year, Sprint and Airspan also won the 2019 Small Cell Forum award for excellence in commercial deployment with the industry association calling the AirStrand product “the world’s fastest deployed outdoor small cell.”
In light of the FCC gearing up to make 2.5 GHz spectrum available for 5G mobile services, with priority given to tribal nations, Airspan’s experience delivering 2.5 GHz solutions at scale could be a deciding factor as operators evaluate network infrastructure procurement strategies.
“At Airspan our focus on form factor and scalability, which has contributed to our rapid growth and over half a million systems deployed worldwide, is know-how that we know can benefit the US market. However we also understand that in this uncertain geo-political landscape the ability to provide peace of mind cannot be understated. Our ability to provide both really sets us apart from our foreign competitors.” Said Eric Stonestrom, CEO Airspan Networks.
While 2.5 GHz is set for series auction as FCC plans crystallize, the 3.5 GHz CBRS band is on fire today with the telecoms regulator in September approving a number of initial commercial deployment plans running the gamut from straight carrier aggregation by Tier 1 operators to bespoke, venue-specific private networks. There are also big opportunities for rural and fixed operators to take advantage of CBRS. And with the latest iPhone and other handsets now supporting 3.5 GHz, now is the time to make a plan and take action.
With a wide range of indoor and outdoor CBRS solutions already FCC certified and a strong roster of partners for SAS Airspan is the ideal choice to quickly monetize the opportunities on the horizon for the multiple applications that CBRS will unlock. Furthermore Airspan also offers an award winning portfolio of Fixed Wireless Access point-to-point and point-to-multipoint solutions that perfectly complement its robust 4G and 5G offering, whether it be to provide regional operators with Gbps of backhaul capacity in 11 and 24GHz over long distances or give WISPS operating in 4.9-6.4GHz the edge to offer the best value per bit.
For more information on the opportunities around 2.5 GHz and CBRS, check out this on-demand webinar featuring Dee Herman and Claire Andonov from Herman & Whiteaker, LLC.
It’s an exciting time in the U.S. telecom market as a potentially consolidated Tier 1 market builds out 5G, new wireless players look to win market share and valuable mid-band frequencies serve the needs of urban and rural users for a variety of high-value use cases.
“Airspan’s 20+ years of experience delivering innovative and scalable solutions gives everyone from Tier 1 to rural operators a powerful option when deciding their network roll out strategies. We are excited to support US operators with the many new applications that are coming to market and in the process help them scale and quickly monetize their infrastructure.” Said Eric Stonestrom, CEO Airspan Networks.
For information on Airspan and its award winning RAN and Fixed Wireless portfolio, click here. Also don’t forget to visit us at WiSPAPALOOZA 14th – 18th October and at MWC Los Angeles 22nd – 24th October.
