As the internet of things drives digital transformation, learn how spectrum sharing is taking the cost out of LTE
Digital transformation is more than a buzzword; it’s a fundamental change in the way enterprises, industries and the public sector do business and approach innovation. And, as the internet of things brings smart devices and insightful data to life, digital transformation is an imperative for long-term business success.
The current telecommunications landscape is marked by explosive demand for data capacity to support increasingly cloud-based, automated business processes. The introduction of IoT devices has added a new source of capacity demand to already taxed network infrastructures. But, with advancements in spectrum sharing techniques, as well as the allocation of new spectrum for a wide variety of use cases, the benefits of cellular connectivity are more attainable than ever.
The 3.5 GHz Citizens Broadband Radio Service (CBRS) band is currently used by the Department of Defense for radar and satellite services, but, in May last year, the Federal Communications Commission opened up 150 megahertz of CBRS spectrum for non-federal use. The telecom industry rallied around the policy shift and established spectrum access sharing specifications to ensure federal traffic takes priority while still allowing for private use.
What this means for the non-telecoms provider community, which likely doesn’t have access to incredibly expensive licensed spectrum, is it’s now possible to stand up a private LTE network without dealing with a mobile network operator. With this huge change in the cost paradigm associated with LTE, enterprises, industries and governments can operate and manage private networks that are tailored to their particular set of service and application needs.
Paul Trubridge, Head of Products for v-EPC vendor Quortus, explained the importance of CBRS: “It provides a means of running private, wide area multiple access networks–whether it’s full mobility or fixed–where other license exempt solutions such as Wi-Fi don’t scale, provide adequate range or present capacity and quality of service challenges. The enterprise is no longer reliant on an MNO, although, if there’s a need, we can support standard roaming interfaces to MNO networks.”
Specific to the IoT, consider a smart city filled with sensors and cameras, which feed data and imagery to a cloud platform that automatically initiates actions to improve traffic flow and reduce congestion and pollution. “In the case of the kinds of low ARPU devices we see in IoT deployments,” Trubridge said, “the spectrum cost when using or leasing from an MNO can be a real barrier. But this is free spectrum.”
Quortus has also worked to take the complexity out of deploying a private LTE core network. Instead of outsourcing network operations work to a third party, enterprise IT departments can take on the task.
“Operators traditionally employ NOCs with multiple systems coming together as a full OSS in order to manage a mobile core network,” Trubridge said. “For private networks, this can’t be the case–enterprises need IT grade systems that can be economically managed. Our core network solution provides the full functionality of a mobile core, but on an IT infrastructure with interfaces that an enterprise IT group can handle.”
Quortus offers a broad portfolio of private network solutions that are highly efficient, small and easy to integrate with existing network equipment. Leveraging low-cost IT techniques, learn how to bring hardened, field-ready LTE solutions to bear as your business goes through the digital transformation process. Quortus representatives will also be on hand in Barcelona for Mobile World Congress, Feb. 27 to March 2, in the Fira Gran Via, Hall 7 Stand 7C72. Get more info.
