Mobi has operated in Hawaii since 2005
Hawaiian service provider Mobi is expanding its horizons, signing a new deal with Federated Wireless to harness CBRS for a 5G wireless broadband service and launching a pilot mobile virtual network operator service in the continental U.S.
Mobi won three Priority Access Licenses (PALs) in two counties in the CBRS PAL auction back in 2020. In a release, the company outlined plans to use its PAL spectrum plus the lower 100 megahertz of the Citizens Broadband Radio Service band to provide 5G broadband service on the Hawaiian islands.
Justen Burdette, Mobi’s CEO, said that due to its partnership to use Federated’s Spectrum Access System (SAS) and Environmental Sensing Capability (ESC) for CBRS sharing, Mobi is “able to leverage our PAL spectrum to deliver the most advanced connectivity across Hawaiʻi, bringing high-speed, reliable broadband to even more of our communities and customers.” Using CBRS spectrum will enable Mobi to “triple channel utilization and enhance network performance,” the two partners said, as well as to offer wireless broadband in hard-to-reach areas of the islands.
Federated said that its work with Mobi marks another expansion of the company’s ESC, and noted that it recently received approval from the Federal Communications Commission to deploy an ESC in Alaska as well.
Meanwhile, Mobi is also preparing for a service expansion to the mainland United States. In a joint release with Working Group Two, Mobi said that it will rely on a cloud-native 4G/5G/IMS mobile core, fully managed as-a-service and running on AWS, from WG2 to support a pilot MVNO service that launches today and leverages the “largest 5G network in the United States.” (Mobi has had past MVNO relationships with Sprint as well as Verizon, which bought some of the company’s 4G spectrum in 2014. )
“Our ambition is to disrupt and challenge the status quo in the wireless industry by delivering a seamless, app-first, and engaging customer experience. By working with WG2 and AWS, we not only get access to a scalable, secure, and future-proof core network, we also improve our ability to meet the demands of our customers,” said Burdette. “It’s all about making it simple to join, affordable to use, and fun to explore what our network can offer. We’re building a brand that resonates with our customers by working with a strong ecosystem of partners.”
Mobi said that after it rolls out in the continental U.S., it plans to expand its cloud-native MVNO service to markets including Canada, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
For more insights on Mobi, its MVNO operations and more, see Burdette’s AMA on Reddit from 2020.
