Wireless technology leaders form an alliance for LTE-based solutions utilizing the shared spectrum of U.S. 3.5 GHz CBRS band

CBRS Alliance launches initiatives with participation from Access Technologies (Alphabet), Federated Wireless, Intel, Nokia, Qualcomm and Ruckus Wireless and appoints Chairman

SUNNYVALE, Calif., USA, 25-Aug-2016 — /EuropaWire/ — Six wireless technology leaders today announced the launch of the CBRS Alliance to develop, market and promote LTE-based solutions utilizing the shared spectrum of the U.S. 3.5 GHz Citizens Broadband Radio Service (CBRS) band. The six companies -Access Technologies (Alphabet),Federated Wireless, Intel, Nokia, Qualcomm and Ruckus Wireless (now part of Brocade)-believe that access to spectrum in the 3.5 GHz frequency band will be critical to meet rapidly expanding wireless data demands.

In February, the companies announced their commitment to build an ecosystem of industry participants and make LTE-based solutions in the CBRS band widely available. This followed the U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) ruling for CBRS, which opened 150 MHz of spectrum (3550-3700 MHz) for commercial use. The Alliance also actively supports the Wireless Innovation Forum‘s efforts to develop and drive the adoption of standards around the unique aspects of operation in the CBRS band, which include providing standardized radio interfaces to the spectrum access system (SAS), interfaces between SASs, protection of federal and incumbent use operations, and managing the coexistence among those sharing the band.

With the impending allocations of 3400-3600 MHz for IMT in several countries, there is increased demand for LTE solutions worldwide, creating economies of scale. The Alliance believes that LTE-based solutions in the CBRS band, utilizing shared spectrum, can enable both in-building and outdoor coverage and capacity expansion at massive scale. In order to maximize CBRS’s full potential, the CBRS Alliance aims to enable a robust ecosystem towards making LTE CBRS solutions available.

“There is ever-growing demand for LTE-based solutions in 3.5 GHz bands and expansion of the wireless footprint,” said Neville Meijers, vice president of small cells for Qualcomm Technologies, Inc., and chairman of the board for the CBRS Alliance. “Working together, the CBRS Alliance aims to enable the entire industry to address demand by expanding the capacity of new technologies.”

The Alliance will work towards LTE CBRS field trials in the second half of this year and is developing an official certification process towards successful deployments of CBRS infrastructure.

“With 80 percent of the data consumed indoors and 95 percent of the radio access network (RAN) Capex allocated to the outdoors, new solutions that produce negligible interference with legacy macro and Wi-Fi systems and are inherently designed to support multiple operators will likely play an essential role to normalize the location asymmetry between data consumption and mobile infrastructure investment,” said Stefan Pongratz, senior director, carrier economics and mobile RAN market research at Dell’Oro Group.

For more information, please go to the Alliance website at www.cbrsalliance.org.

ABOUT ACCESS TECHNOLOGIES
Alphabet’s Access team is focused on increasing access to fast, abundant Internet through efforts such as Google Fiber and wireless initiatives.

ABOUT FEDERATED WIRELESS
Formed in 2012, Federated Wireless, Inc. is developing scalable wireless infrastructure solutions to extend the access of carrier networks. The company’s dynamic spectrum access service (SAS) platform focuses on the distribution of shared spectrum. Its approach incorporates a neural network of radio sensors that allow for interference-free access to low-cost, high-quality spectrum, and breaks down traditional barriers of high-cost, exclusive spectrum. The company’s differentiated business model creates opportunities for more efficient approaches to spectrum. Federated Wireless is headquartered in Arlington, Va., and has offices in Boston, Mass. and Sunnyvale, Calif. More information can be found at www.federatedwireless.com.

ABOUT INTEL
Intel expands the boundaries of technology to make the most amazing experiences possible. Information about Intel can be found at newsroom.intel.com and intel.com.

ABOUT NOKIA
Nokia is a global leader in the technologies that connect people and things. Powered by the innovation of Nokia Bell Labs and Nokia Technologies, the company is at the forefront of creating and licensing the technologies that are increasingly at the heart of our connected lives. With state-of-the-art software, hardware and services for any type of network, Nokia is uniquely positioned to help communication service providers, governments and large enterprises deliver on the promise of 5G, the Cloud and the Internet of Things. www.nokia.com


ABOUT QUALCOMM
Qualcomm Incorporated is a world leader in 3G, 4G and next-generation wireless technologies. Qualcomm Incorporated includes Qualcomm’s licensing business, QTL, and the vast majority of its patent portfolio. Qualcomm Technologies, Inc., a subsidiary of Qualcomm Incorporated, operates, along with its subsidiaries, substantially all of Qualcomm’s engineering, research and development functions, and substantially all of its products and services businesses, including its semiconductor business, QCT. For more than 30 years, Qualcomm ideas and inventions have driven the evolution of digital communications, linking people everywhere more closely to information, entertainment and each other. For more information, visit Qualcomm’s website, OnQ blog, Twitter and Facebook pages.

ABOUT RUCKUS WIRELESS
Ruckus Wireless, now part of Brocade, delivers simply better wireless for approximately 70,000 enterprise, service provider, government and small business customers worldwide. The company is focused on technology innovation, partner ecosystems and customer service-yielding the best possible wireless experience for the most challenging indoor and outdoor environments. Its Smart Wi-Fi platform delivers scalable, high-performance Wi-Fi with simplified control and management for on-premise and cloud-based Wi-Fi deployments, along with new services for secure on-boarding, policy management, location services, and analytics that enable new business opportunities.

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SOURCE: Nokia