Macro, small cells, fiber, data centers all part of network convergence
Summarizing the programming at the Wireless Infrastructure Association’s ConnectX event in Charlotte, N.C., Jonathan Adelstein, president and CEO of the trade association, highlighted the increasing level of network convergence shaping the telecom industry’s evolution from LTE to 5G.
“We see a lot of convergence,” Adelstein said in his opening remarks. “We see that we want to bring together every element of the wireless ecosystem,” ranging from macro towers, small cells and fiber to data centers, the internet of things and public safety. “It became clear to us years ago that there was massive convergence in what we might call the connectivity sector,” he added. He called out wireless-led digital transformation in the utility, agriculture, sports and entertainment industries, which “all were working to achieve the same thing—ubiquitous, high-speed connectivity.”
Watch a video of Adelstein’s commentary here.
Adelstein also commented on regulatory changes made by the U.S. Federal Communications Commission meant to speed up deployment of wireless infrastructure. “The FCC … and Congress and the White House are all doing everything they can to promote wireless infrastructure as the key to widespread deployment of broadband. They’re actually doing something about it. The FCC has put our issues front and center. They’re taking major actions to reduce barriers to broadband deployment.” He noted moves to remove environmental and historical review processes associated with small cell deployments, as well as the work FCC Commissioner Michael O’Rielly has done around so-called “twilight towers” on tribal lands.
O’Rielly was on hand at ConnectX and discussed spectral policy as it relates to opening up more frequencies for LTE and 5G services, as well as movements around sharing the CBRS band.
