JMA exec calls CBRS “new highway to the enterprise”
AUSTIN–The 3.5 GHz Citizens Broadband Radio Service (CBRS) band is poised for a breakout year in 2020 with general and priority access licenses, allocated on a county-by-county basis, set to bolster carrier capacity and provide enterprises with the ability to set up private LTE networks.
The PAL auction is currently set for a June kick-off so it remains to be seen whether carriers will run the table or if what was previously referred to as the innovation band will be used as such–underpinning enterprise digital transformation efforts predicated on gaining operational efficiencies by using sensor-generated data and analytics to improve processes.
“I think what’s important about this change, Todd Landry of JMA Wireless said, “is it takes spectrum…and it opens it up to the private sector. It’s changing the market. It’s creating a whole new layer of innovation.”
JMA is working with the American Dream complex is East Rutherford, New Jersey, to deploy a CBRS network focused on outdoor spaces for comprehensive traffic management, parking and wayfinding information systems. Additional uses will evolve for fixed and mobile devices including video cameras, digital displays, vehicle connectivity, internal use communications, and IoT for facility operations.
That bit is important. CBRS is much more than a way to enhance experience when using a mobile handset. As Landry put it, “The reality is there’s a lot of devices that have emerged that are Ethernet bridges and USB dongles and push-to-talk devices and we’re going to see cameras and healthcare devices emerging. It’s gone well beyond mobile phones. It’s gone into all kinds of what I call IT mobilization applications which is great for the enterprise.”
This deployment uses JMA’s TEKO distributed antenna system for in-building connectivity and, XRAN virtualized baseband and Cell Hub CBRS radios.
“The amount of spectrum available today [in the CBRS band] is 150 megahertz,” Landry said. “It’s as much spectrum as we use today for all the mobile services we use. All of a sudden, any company use big chunks of that. I think there’s a couple more waves coming.”
