Tag Archives: CBRS

Will the Mini MVNO make a difference for indoor carrier coverage?

November 8, 2018 Wade Leave a comment

When the CBRS is finally released to the public, the carriers want to grab as much spectrum as possible. The thing is, they need partners to provide coverage. Currently, they are relying on Wi-Fi to offload indoor coverage, but that model is fading. The carriers will need to rely on the partners. That’s where a mini MVNO can make a difference.

The model has to change. The release of the CBRS had the carriers blinded with spectrum greed, forcing the FCC to change the rules so they would have more spectrum for a longer time. The overall solution was lost in their blind greed for spectrum. They forgot that they don’t want to spend the money to expand indoor coverage. Honestly, what were they thinking? That is where the CBRS will shine, indoor LTE and 5G coverage. It’s very limited coverage areas will make it ideal for indoor solutions.

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That paired with the fact that the carriers don’t want to invest in DAS or indoor coverage anywhere they don’t have to is going to make a new business model for mini MVNOs. That’s where a smaller ISP or carrier could offer coverage in a limited area. This would be the rise of a mini MVNO.

The carriers are missing a golden opportunity if they don’t pair with smaller carriers and ISPs. They could ban together to get CBRS spectrum in buildings around a city or a region. This could make the growth of indoor coverage much cheaper than if the carriers did it themselves. A smaller company using CBRS could pair with any carrier to provide the coverage needed to improve indoor coverage.

That’s why being a mini MVNO for any carrier would make sense. The idea that the carriers won’t spend to improve indoor coverage helps a smaller company look more and more valuable. The carriers can continue with the Wi-Fi offload model, but I don’t see it as sustainable. Wi-Fi in an airport where you have to pay for the access doesn’t make sense when you pay a carrier for unlimited coverage. Why pay for the Wi-Fi? You already pay the carrier for unlimited coverage.

The example I have is when I fly from BWI airport. The airport has limited free coverage, but email on your device quickly eats that up then Boingo wants paid to use their unlimited coverage. However, I have great carrier coverage inside the airport, so I turn off Wi-Fi and rely on the LTE coverage that is there today, and it works very well. Why go to Wi-Fi when you have unlimited data with a carrier?

So for smaller companies that may have CBRS spectrum in an area where the carrier coverage is spotty at best and the Wi-Fi is very limited or nonexistent, you have an opportunity. The opportunity to create a small business model and allow offloading from the carriers in a small controlled environment.

Now, how do you make money off this model? Good question! We know that the carriers won’t pay you squat unless they have to. So one idea is you could ink a deal with one carrier exclusively to see if they would give you some monthly payment, but I would think it’s going to be a very small payment. Then there is the idea that you could get local subscribers. They would sign up to a point. Then local businesses may want to have coverage if they can use it for their back office and business systems as well as customers.

There are a few ideas. I hate to say it, but you may have to build it first. To be honest, I hate the “build it, and they will come” model because if it’s there, no one wants to pay, ask anyone who rolls out free Wi-Fi.

The idea is to get the local businesses or building owners to buy in first. Advertise so that people know that you’re offering the coverage and not the carrier. Make sure people see the difference between what you offer and the Wi-Fi in their business. If you can save someone from a large backhaul cost every month, they would buy in. Make it valuable to the local businesses and maybe the carriers will want you as a very small partner.

This is my business case for the mini MVNO using the CBRS spectrum. The FCC won’t give anything else to the small business; those days are gone. This is going to be the best you can do for now.

The CBRS equipment is out there, and the way to license is cost-effective. Let’s put together some smaller LTE and 5G systems while we still can. The FCC should be opening up the CBRS someday soon, hopefully. I know they had the big press release, but what can we do today? Seriously, who grabbed spectrum so far outside of the carriers or major OEMs to test?

So when the spectrum is free, smaller companies can start working with SpiderCloud, Ruckus, Ruckus, Airspan, and the other OEMs to roll systems out. The major OEMs may not be so easy. I was working with a smaller company that wanted to roll out Nokia and Ericsson gear, and it would take them months before they could deliver anything and they really weren’t interested in any order under 50 units. Just so you know, deal with the OEMs that want to deal with smaller companies. Not every OEM cares about smaller businesses and enterprise the way some do.

Indoor coverage for LTE and 5G are critical to all carriers. Businesses will rely on indoor coverage; the enterprise will build private LTE and 5G systems, new carriers will arrive offering limited indoor coverage. There will be disruptors in this industry.

Something to think about, as VRAN grows and becomes the new normal, smaller CBRS indoor units will make more sense. Currently, CRAN is pushing the limits of VRAN so the CBRS units will need to have the controller remote so they can be deployed anywhere. It’s going to be like the Ericsson DOT system on the controller will be off premises, not the convoluted system that they currently have. It will be cleaner and remotely controlled in the cloud, more or less.

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The carriers realize that the last mile is losing its value with the acceptance of unlimited data. They are already looking for new revenue sources. Spectrum is going to lose its value with more and more unlimited data plans. They have to come up with a new way to make money instead of crushing contractors pricing to save money. The model must change.

I can’t wait to see who will be the last mile disruptor. I thought it would be Google, but they didn’t have the stomach to continue to roll out FTTH, so it’s hard to believe they could roll out anything beyond Wi-Fi in a local region. I hope they deploy CBRS, but they need to find a very cheap and easy way to do it. Let’s face it. You need a strong heart and determination to deploy any wireless system. Google hasn’t proved they have either in deployment. Anyone who climbed towers can tell you how hard field work can be. Google supports the CBRS in the background, but I don’t see them deploying much of it.

For those of you that don’t know:

VRAN – Virtual RAN
CRAN – Centralized RAN, radio heads controlled by a central BBU, slightly different from cRAN, Cloud RAN.
RAN – Radio Access Network
BBU – Baseband Unit
FTTH – Fiber to the home
MVNO – Mobile Virtual Network Operator, someone who may use another carrier’s network as their own, for example, Virgin Mobile and Boost Mobile.
DAS – Distributed Antenna System
CBRS – Citizens Broadband Radio Service, 3.5GHz spectrum in the USA.
Wi-Fi – honestly, you don’t know what Wi-Fi is? And you’re reading this? Google it then get lost! This is for real engineers and technicians.

Thank you for your support and your time. And good job on learning all you can in the wireless industry, you are amazing! Now, go out and impress people!

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When will we see a Common Carrier Small Cell?

June 17, 2018 Wade Leave a comment

When will we have a common carrier small cell? A small cell that all the carriers could share in any given venue. It has been promised by so many, but we have not seen anything on this. Why? Well, we already have it, in a way. Simple Wi-Fi is already a common carrier device, right? In a building, if you have Verizon, and your friends have T-Mobile, AT&T, and Sprint, then all of your smartphones will work on the common Wi-Fi. The same could be true for LTE-U and CBRS small cells. Yet, the carriers may never let that happen. It would offload traffic, but they would lose control.

Many small cell OEMs have promised this, but it takes more than a cool device. It takes spectrum. Now we will have that in LTE-U and CBRS. So, we thought, but the CBRS was delayed since T-Mobile wanted more spectrum for a longer time. The FCC has been holding this up. Which helped Sprint gain traction with their 2.5GHz spectrum, but I digress.

Common spectrum will help. I don’t know how you could put all of the carriers’ spectrum in one box. I really liked the CBRS spectrum, but it seems T-Mobile wanted more of it for themselves, and they got support from groups. The FCC did not officially release the CBRS standards or spectrum. It’s frustrating because this will be a key to common carrier small cells.

The CBRS will allow the carriers to have a shared small cell using common spectrum, once the devices all get the spectrum in them. I don’t think they will agree to do it, but we’ll see what the future of billing models brings. It may make sense for them to do it to reach more users and offload. There will come to a point where the carriers will need coverage or offload more than they fear giving out access to smaller local carriers. They won’t want to pay for it, but they may want to allow their customers to roam to that cell or venue. It makes sense.

If you don’t think that a business plan has to align with the common carrier small cell, think again. As flat-rate plans become commonplace, the carriers will look to offload more and more data. They won’t want to invest more than they have to in backhaul or infrastructure. They may give up some control to make this happen.

If you think about it, a shared small cell or mini macro makes a lot of sense for offload. They already trust Wi-Fi to offload data, why not take it one step closer. It makes sense to use it that way now that the system is all data anyway.

I think that T-Mobile has taken the first step by using Voice over Wi-Fi. They have had some success with it. It worked well where the user had dedicated Wi-Fi, and if would offload voice to a Wi-Fi system rather than their spectrum. I thought it was cool they did it. I don’t see them advertise it anymore, so it probably didn’t work as well as they had hoped. I think that the CBRS and LTE-U spectrum may work better for them.

The business plan would take some refining. The issue is, “who would pay to install the small cell and maintain it?” It comes back to a DAS issue where someone has to install and maintain it. Who pays for it and what would a monthly fee be for something like this. I’ll tell you now unless it’s an attractive venue, the carriers won’t pay a dime! Why should they? It doesn’t make sense for them to manage thousands of somebody else’s small cells. That’s why they like Wi-Fi, someone else is managing it. The user has to sign on and set it up, it will work, or it won’t. So simple.

The common carrier small cell would need to be managed by someone. Maybe the venue owner or the Wi-Fi provider. It would have to be upgraded as needed and there is the cost of the backhaul. It all adds up. If an independent company does it, do they have to pay rent to be in that venue? Now, it’s not so free, is it? A business model has to be built to put these things in. Some type of payback has to happen, just like the Wi-Fi models at larger airports, someone has to pay for it. Again, it won’t be the carrier unless it is their venue.

Space for the small cells is an issue, common space. I will tell you that some companies tried to get a common space on poles for pole. The made deals with cities stating that they would allow all the carriers on, but when the city went to them with another carrier, they said that carrier “A” bought up all the space. Sounds like a setup, they didn’t allow space for other carriers like when they promised the city.

One dream has been to put multiple carriers in one box, to minimize the footprint. I know of several vendors trying to do this. They want to be able to feed a radio with multiple backhaul so that all 4 US carriers could use one box with 6 or 8 sectors to cover a specific area. While this sounds great, interference has been a deterrent. You can’t just shove them all in a box and hope for the best. The box has to be tested, accepted and released by each carrier as well as the FCC. It’s not a quick and easy process, and it takes resources to support carriers. SpiderCloud learned this a long time ago when they got approvals for their small cells by major carriers worldwide. No easy task.

Once you have a way to do the multiple carriers in a box, it needs to be defined what spectrum it can use, how the radios would be set up, how the backhaul is fed to it, and what the footprint will look like. All that in addition to the radio properties.

Today it’s hard enough to get all the carriers on a common pole for small cells, can you imagine cramming them all into one box? That takes a lot of patience, testing, and approvals.

I think someday there will be common LTE boxes in the CBRS and LTE-U spectrums. It has to happen sometime. I just wonder who will pay for it? That’s the big question.

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LAA, CBRS, LTE-U are 5G Building Blocks!

February 5, 2018 Wade Leave a comment

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Carrier Aggregation and Private LTE

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Hey, guess what? Remember when I talked about LAA, LTE-U, and CBRS, well, we’re almost there! That’s right, all those add-ons that we talked about over a year ago may finally be released. The new CBRS spectrum in the US creates new opportunities. It will be a game changer once the FCC decides what will happen with the spectrum. I just want to deploy, something they are delaying even longer, over a year, come on, release something! Sorry, it’s just that government holds back the economy by trying to improve it, this is a classic example. It happens in every administration.

Let’s look at 2 things, 1) a way to supplement what the carriers have, and, 2) a private LTE network. While you think this is just another system, it’s on the road to 5G. That’s right, we need spectrum, and there is plenty of it. Where? I’ll tell you if you have the nerve to read on.

LAA – Licensed Assisted Access

First, it’s the ISM spectrum, you know it better as the Wi-Fi spectrum. It could be 900MHz, 2.4GHz, 5.8GHz or even 60GHz. All that spectrum that Wi-Fi could operate in, but they primarily use 2.4GHz and 5.8GHz. Now we can run LTE in that spectrum; it’s called LTE-U and Qualcomm created MuLTEfire to allow LTE to run without a core. You heard me, an independent LTE-U hotspot that the carriers and your device will like a lot.

LTE-U is in the spectrum of Wi-Fi but is true LTE. It’s in the unlicensed band. MuLTEfire is a stand-alone LTE unit. While that doesn’t mean much now it will when all the devices have it, like your smartphone. Learn more here, https://www.multefire.org/about/ if you’re interested in learning more. Maybe you want to read a book, available on Amazon with my affiliate link, found here, where you can learn more about LTE in unlicensed bands. It’s going to be great when we can use LTE for everything. I see this as a great thing. RCR wrote about it last year, https://www.rcrwireless.com/20170530/network-infrastructure/what-is-multefire-tag6-tag99. It’s really a great thing.

Why? I am glad you asked. You see the carriers can use LTE-U to gain bandwidth with their current LTE spectrum. They use something called LAA, which I wrote about in the past, but now it’s right around the corner. What’s that? You don’t remember anything about LAA, let’s have a flashback! LAA, which is soon to be used by the primary carriers to build up throughput, is Licensed Assist Access. That uses carrier aggregation to aggregate, (make all the RF carriers look like one big pipe), create separate streams that all combine in the end users’ device to make the throughput go through the roof. We are talking about throughput closer to 1Gbps to the device. Hell, I would settle for 100Mbps to happen.

There is also LWA, Licensed Wi-Fi Aggregation, same as the above but it uses Wi-Fi to aggregate. Now, you’re wondering why LWA isn’t the preferred choice, right? I would say because it’s so much work to get Wi-Fi to work with LTE. Seriously, those 2 formats are not playing well together. They have delay differences and to be honest the carriers are sick and tired of trying to make it work. I will give T-Mobile a lot of credit because they seemed to have a solid way to make it work. I am not sure why, but they don’t seem to push it anymore, not sure why.

So, what is the better choice? LAA using the licensed LTE with the unlicensed LTE-U. LTE is a great format baby! I love it, in fact, 5G will love it too, it will be the foundation for 5G, even with the NR coming out. That’s right! The carriers will be rolling out LAA very soon. They have faith in it. Carrier aggregation rocks! It will allow all of them to unify LTE is all bands, including CBRS.

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CBRS – Citizen’s Broadband Radio System

That’s right, CBRS rocks! It will allow you, the end-user, to build a lightly licensed spectrum, like 3.5GHz here in the USA, and build your own LTE network along with the LTE-U. CBRS is in the 3.5GHz spectrum, and it is lightly licensed thanks to an advances licensing system that uses ASA to assign spectrum. It works a lot like your DHCP server only for spectrum. How cool is that?

When I interviewed both Art King (of SpiderCloud) and Steve Martin (of Ruckus) they helped me understand how awesome the CBRS spectrum is going to be for the enterprise user as well as the wireless internet service provider, (WISP). It will open new doors and allow WISPs everywhere to align with the carriers if they want to aggregate the carrier.

But wait, there’s more! The carriers will be using this spectrum as well. In fact, T-Mobile is a major reason the delay is happening. They want to buy more of the spectrum and hold onto it much longer. I’m okay with that, but why don’t they ask the FCC to get off their ass and release something already? They don’t seem to be in a hurry. I guess because they are rolling out 600MHz now. That is a major effort on their part. I appreciate it because it brings a lot of work to the deployment industry, and GOD knows we need it. You heard me! It’s feast or famine in this industry. Now I am straying off topic, sorry.

CBRS is also LTE, and it’s something that the carrier separately wants to roll out as part of their small cell model. It’s perfect spectrum for small cells. Lower power, smaller coverage area, and new spectrum that can be rolled out anywhere. I love it and so will you when you get your own small cell in the CBRS spectrum.

Hey, guess who else will love it? Public safety, utilities, small business, enterprise, and anyone who wants to extend their coverage. I know, Wi-Fi is nice, but the LTE format will open new doors, and lightly licensed spectrum will help security. I can’t wait until every smart device has this spectrum in it.

Carrier Aggregation made this possible!

I would say thank you to the OEMs for coming out with carrier aggregation. It is the sole feature that made this possible. It is a remarkable technology that the carriers are currently using only in the licensed spectrum. They are currently using this technology only on their own licensed channels. Some of them on multiple bands across spectrum or maybe in the same spectrum. Here’s the deal, they can expand beyond their own spectrum, how cool is that. They may want players, so keep your ear open, and maybe they will want partners. It could happen.

What about the devices?

Nokia has already released their small cells. Ruckus has a CBRS unit. SpiderCloud has their unit. There you go, real units in the real world just waiting for you to deploy! Deploy, deploy, deploy! Do it ASAP. We’re still waiting on more UE devices to get the spectrum, but it’s coming, have faith, my friends.

How can this help you?

OK, it’s all about you! I can explain it to the industry you’re in. Let’s look below at the list to understand where you fit in.

Enterprise users – you will be able to build something much more secure than Wi-Fi. A network in the CBRS will be lightly licensed and something that most users will not have access to. You could dedicate it to your network and have specific devices with that spectrum to allow low latency and dedicated spectrum for whatever you want to use it for. Security and dedicated spectrum would allow you to do secure functions without running cables everywhere.
ISPs – If you’re an internet service provider you have an option to supplement your income by striking a deal with any carrier to use LAA on LTE-U or CBRS to aggregate the carriers licensed LTE with your spectrum. If you have already built it, then they may see value in what you have. Why not?
Installers – if you have the opportunity then you can install these devices indoors and out. On poles usually, they are low power and will reach the end-user much like Wi-Fi on these will be small cells. The CBRS will be rolling out everywhere. While the carriers want a higher power unit the reality is this will be an extension of the network and should work well within the realm of 5G.
Backhaul – Fiber providers, backhaul providers, and the router companies can make a play to gain market share in the smaller business groups.
Carriers – the carriers will look at this as the icing on the cake. They can extend coverage by partnering with smaller users for a flat fee or by reciprocating services. The chances are good that they will want to build their own smaller networks where they can, but that whole idea here is that they don’t want to increase CapEx. That’s why the partnership to extend coverage looks natural and attractive. FYI – this is cheaper than putting in licensed radio heads.
Building and venue owners – if you looked at DAS as the saving grace, look at this as an easier way to do upgrades. This is an easy way to expand coverage by running CAT 5 or CAT 6 to the new small cell areas. By putting in LTE-U or CBRS, you can quickly and easily extend coverage. It’s a natural alternative to putting in more licensed radio heads.
OEMs and distributors – you can move product. Nokia, SpiderCloud, and Ruckus have already jumped on the bandwagon with products for LTE-U and CBRS that are carrier grade. They all are targeting the user mentioned in this report. Do they know something you don’t? Not if you read the blogs at Wade4Wireless.com!
Public Safety – here is a market that could really benefit from I know they are all waiting for the AT&T deployment, sorry, I meant to say FirstNet roll out. The thing is, they will have a choice between AT&T, sorry, I mean FirstNet and Verizon’s system. It all depends where they are at because the coverage varies that much and while the budget matters, they really need to have coverage first. If the coverage is there, then they can look at cost. They may rely on their own networks like they do today. If that is the case, they may want to try to deploy their own broadband network and put it where they need it.
Utilities – I see the utility market needing this for their smart meters and remote connections. They can use something like this to reach all the area that the carriers can’t or at least as an alternative to paying carriers for their IOT systems. Then they may be able to expand the network to serve more than the meters by allowing end users to put their IOT devices on these networks. It is a viable alternative.
Cable companies – I see the cable companies rolling out LTE-U and CBRS because it’s so cost-effective and it fits into their current model. Granted, they love Wi-Fi, but they will see great value in rolling out LTE-U and CBRS if they can partner with the carriers. They could use it as a bargaining chip when they want to become an MVNO, like Comcast, with the large What leverage they will have when they can use their network to reach millions of their customers with an LTE network of their own. Awesome!
Autonomous vehicles – I don’t know who will use this, but it is a viable way to communicate with vehicles in the urban areas. It would have to be a dense network, but it could supplement the carrier’s network.
Google – yes, Google has a lot to gain with their Loon network and to replace the FTTH network which we all thought would be our savior from the choices we have now. One thing that Google learned is that it costs a lot of money to deploy fiber. It’s a lot more than what you see in the data center. If they use this technology like they say they will, then we will have our new ISP competitor that could make a difference overnight, well, in a few years maybe.
The workforce – I see the workforce benefiting from this because we are going to have to engineer and deploy the systems for all the potential service providers. Let’s build the best networks we can. Let’s build the ecosystem beyond the carriers to the smaller business owners. We can make a difference by helping cities become smart, utilities being connected, public safety has a broader reach and more partners, and the carriers are relying on individuals beyond their strong list of partners. We have the opportunity to go beyond the “norm” and into an open distribution system. We can do it, so let’s make the difference today!

Summary:

Do you believe that this could be a game changer? I do! I think that this is going to be the thing that pushed the outer users to 5G and includes them as part of the ecosystem. It’s more than being a customer. It’s becoming a player in your niche. Finally, in wireless, we can all be players in the infrastructure network. We have become an active user and builder of the wireless networks beyond Wi-Fi. It’s exhilarating to me, and I look forward to having all of you as partners in this venture!

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Be smart, be safe, and pay attention!

Deploy! Deploy! Deploy!

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Building your own Private LTE Network

September 26, 2017 Wade Leave a comment

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The great thing about 5G is that we will soon see private LTE networks. How is this possible? Because we finally have spectrum open to businesses everywhere. We already have license-free spectrum in 2.4GHz and 5.8GHz that we currently use for Wi-Fi. The FCC is going to allow users to use LTE in that spectrum. The issue is sharing the spectrum. It’s not efficient in public places. Where you will see it make a real difference is in your home. Suddenly when the devices have LTE, you can install a private LTE license free network in your home. That is cool.

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Now, imagine that you can build a licensed LTE network for your small business or to serve your IOT needs to for very high security on your device? You could have your device registered with an SAS company to coordinate your CBRS spectrum so that it’s your spectrum in that building, office park, or wherever. You could even use it on your smartphones when they add that spectrum to their RF boards. This is expected to happen in 2018.

Why Private LTE?

If you want a fast and reliable network, then a private LTE network is the way to go. You could improve security by going with a licensed carrier. That is why the CBRS spectrum will be a good fit. You can easily grab a lightly licensed spectrum for your personal use, and it will make your network very secure. If you need the speed and reliability that Wi-Fi may not provide, then this is a good alternative.

Why would I want a private LTE system?

The big thing now is the industrial IOT functions. This is where you may have a manufacturing plant or a warehouse where the latency and reliability are critical. This is an IOT function where IOT would make a difference, and it could change the way your machines communicate. It would be dedicated to your specific purpose.

I would like to say that your devices would have it but that is about a year away. The latest iPhone did not have this spectrum in it nor did it have the 600MHz spectrum that T-Mobile is building out now. iPhone appears behind the latest technology spectrum.

However, someday all devices will have the CBRS spectrum in them, and your device can hand off to your secure internal network and then back to the carrier’s network, in theory anyway. The idea is that we can do so much more with our devices that could be dedicated to our specific business. That is the dream that we can run our specific applications that matter to our business. Let’s say on our tablets. If you want a model, look at any scanner system for inventory, they use this now to scan everything. Imagine when we can put applications that require more bandwidth on smaller devices and take them anywhere. Our smartphone is like that now but on the carrier’s network and Wi-Fi.

Wi-Fi serves a great purpose, but security has been the issue. If we can dedicate a specific channel in the CBRS to a specific function on your smartphone, it will be very secure. It all depends on what your priority will be to achieve your networking goal. Is it easy access, security, functionality, or all 3?

What is the CBRS?

The citizens broadband Radio spectrum. This is currently specific to the United States, but it is going to open everywhere if it’s successful. US CBRS is the 3.5GHz band, which runs from 3550 to 3700 MHz band. CBRS stands for Citizens Broadband Radio Service (in remembrance of the CB, Citizens Band). It is a licensed spectrum. There is Military radar, and Earth stations that use this spectrum that is grandfathered in and have priority access. That will not change. There will be a Spectrum Allocation System (SAS). Currently in the US only, but Europe is looking to follow suit with Licensed Shared Access, (LSA).

The spectrum is 3.65GHz to 3.7GHz which was used for WiMAX. Now the FCC is opening that spectrum and an addition 150MHz spectrum for 3 types of users.

What the SAS will manage:

incumbent access including the federal government and satellite providers.
priority access licenses (PAL) which are 7 10MHz licenses to be awarded to the highest bidders. PALs will be protected from the GAA users. PAL will include commercial users like carriers, rural operators, are a 3-year license with only 1 renewal term allowed now, and will be in the 3500 to 3650 portion of the spectrum. One licensee can hold only 4 PAL licenses.
general access user, (GAA) which is “Licensed by rule” which requires the rules to be followed. This will be dedicated in the 3650 to 3750 MHz portion of the band.
A PAL may gain additional GAA spectrum.
Companies that currently have this spectrum licenses will be able to keep their This was used for WiMAX in the past. Now it will be LTE focused.
Licensing will be done by the Spectrum Allocation System, (SAS), which is a group that can charge for these services, currently being led by Google and Federated Wireless.
Hardware vendors include SpiderCloud, Ruckus, Nokia, Ericsson, Samsung, ip.access, and Acceleron.

The 3 tiers are:

Incumbent access – this is for users that are already using this spectrum for the military, ground stations, government, and so on. They will be protected.
Priority Access Licenses (PAL) – this is for anyone who is willing to pay a premium to own 10 MHz of spectrum. The current model is for 3 years with one renewal, that could change.
General Authorized Access (GAA) – this is for anyone who wants to use it if they have an authorized device that will connect to the SAS, Spectrum Allocation Service, and accept the assigned frequencies. You must complete a questionnaire and pay a small subscription fee, but it’s going to very reasonable.

The key here is that the SAS will coordinate all users, protect the PAL users and the incumbents.

No PAL users will be on the lower spectrum, and no GAA will be in the upper spectrum.

PAL users will most likely be the carriers or anyone who is willing to pay for dedicated spectrum for data applications, like broadband, IOT, VOIP, or anything that could be a wide area densification project.

GAA users could be for anyone in a building doing any type of LTE network. This could be private and secure coverage in a building or IOT applications or manufacturing applications that require very low latency. A private LTE network on a lightly licensed network.

A PAL can grab GAA spectrum but a GAA can’t grab PAL spectrum.

While the GAA users should not interfere with each other, it could happen, not much you can do.

All users need to comply with the FCC rules.

Your Private LTE Network

You can use the licensed or unlicensed spectrum to build your own private LTE network. This will be part of the 5G ecosystem. It could be a separate network slice, from my perspective.

You will need:

A mini-core to control your systems and to be the interface to the internet.
Radios that are on the band and spread throughout your little area.
What will they control? Devices, smartphones, laptops? What will they connect?
User Equipment which is the end user’s device. It could be a card to interface with your device if doing IOT. It could be your smartphone, which should have this spectrum in it starting in 2018. Maybe your laptop will be able to connect or have a USB interface that could connect.

Now you see that there is a way to get that private LTE network, but where do you get the parts for a CBRS network? Look at the list below:

Ruckus makes radios and a small core.
SpiderCloud also makes radios and a small core.
Look to Federated Wireless to see that already have run trials, http://www.federatedwireless.com/tag/3-5-ghz/
Any major OEM has the equipment, like Nokia, Ericsson, or Samsung, but they generally have little interest in helping a smaller business with something like that. That’s been my experience.
As for end-user devices, I am still trying to figure that one out.

There you go, figure it out. It’s so easy a wireless guy can do it. Maybe an IT guy can do it, but who knows.

Resources:

Tower Safety and Instruction has online training and eBooks at http://teltech-college.com/ where you can get drone, tower, safety, 5G, and deployment material on your laptop! TSI, making the best better.

Be smart, be safe, and pay attention!

See Ya!

How do you plan goals? Now you can plan 5 Weeks at a time! The 5-week Planning Journal, (click here), available now in paperback from Amazon!

Do you know what to put in your SOW, the details needed to get paid for milestones or job completion?

Putting together your smart city tech solutions, planning, development, and more….TechFecta! Guiding you to a better plan through consulting!

Hubble Foundation helps the families of climbers in a time of need and beyond with financial support and counseling!

Tower Family Foundation supports the families of tower climbers at the time of crisis when a climber falls with financial assistance and more.

Wade4Wireless BlogCast

iPhone X Missing Spectrum & Technology!

September 21, 2017 Wade Leave a comment

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Did anyone notice that the latest iPhone did not have 600MHz in it that T-Mobile is rolling out? What is that about. It doesn’t have the CBRS spectrum in it either! WHAT?

The iPhone X is an eXample of what not to do! It’s a failed eXperiment! It’s a loser at any X games. It’s an eXtreme eXample of a throwback device! If they wanted a throwback, they should have made it the X flip phone, like the devices Nextel had. Xtreme Fail! Xtreme disappointment!

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OK, that’s out of my system, let’s move on.

EPIC X FAIL!

Why would they not put in the latest spectrum? Now that they released this they already have a gaping hole in the device! Oh sure, it has facial recognition, when it works, great.

What’s missing?

T-Mobile is looking to be in band 71, 600MHz, but there is no device to support it.
The CBRS is 3.5GHz, and that’s band 48.
No LAA availability for LTE!

Why does this matter?

Because the future of LTE will rely on new spectrum to get the speeds they need to deliver the 5G broadband that we expect. They matter because LTE will rely on LAA and HPUE and gigabit capability to get the broadband that people want and need. It is how we expect to get more form our devices, T-Mobile isn’t building out 600MHz just so they can stare at the shiny new radio heads and antennas! They want to deliver the best bandwidth they can to their customers. They want to maximize every site so that the end-user, the customer, YOU, are satisfied with your device.

Listen, if you’re looking at advancing the bandwidth to your device, then look at the device! Apple just showed that their primary motivation is the facial recognition and apps, so that get you addicted to the device itself! But without the bandwidth to serve you, what good is it? You need spectrum. You need the support system to get spectrum. The carriers are doing all that they can to get that bandwidth maximized to your device, wouldn’t it be nice if Apple would reciprocate? They need to get their crap together and remember that they are a technology company first and foremost. All I can ask is, “is that what Steve Jobs would have done?” Would he have put the technology on a back burner just to release a new device? I think we all know the answer to that.

Let’s see what Samsung will do. This is their big chance to jump ahead and show us what they can do. Maybe Google will release something great when they take over HTC. Google has a large investment in CBRS, at least in time. They may push it harder than anyone.

To me, Apple is putting all its eggs in the Wi-Fi basket. Maybe that is their way to keep the connection alive. Maybe they could care less about the new spectrum coming out or the coverage that the carriers are trying to build. Maybe Apple could care less about T-Mobile’s sales of their devices. I don’t know.

To be honest, I was an Apple fan, but now I see them changing into a typical supplier, worried about moving units on the short-term flash and less about building something that has longevity and evolution capability.

I was disappointed, but hey, I am a tech guy, Apple no longer wants to appeal to us anymore, at least that is how I am reading this. All I can say is “LET DOWN!”

Resources:

Be smart, be safe, and pay attention!

See Ya!

How do you plan goals? Now you can plan 5 Weeks at a time! The 5-week Planning Journal, (click here), available now in paperback from Amazon!

Do you know what to put in your SOW, the details needed to get paid for milestones or job completion?

Putting together your smart city tech solutions, planning, development, and more….TechFecta! Guiding you to a better plan through consulting!

Hubble Foundation helps the families of climbers in a time of need and beyond with financial support and counseling!

Tower Family Foundation supports the families of tower climbers at the time of crisis when a climber falls with financial assistance and more.

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Keep the CBRS Open for Small Business!

August 3, 2017 Wade Leave a comment

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I have been reading about T-Mobile’s request to capture all the CBRS for the carriers, to be auctioned off. I get it! They want it all for themselves. What is the price that American small business pay? I put this together as an open letter to the FCC so Americans can understand how this is going to hurt small business and innovation in LTE. In my opinion, T-Mobile’s greed for spectrum will cost too much for small business to pay. I see this as the “uncarrier” striking a devastating blow into the heart of small companies and innovation that would slow down if not stifle private LTE growth completely. I have to protest! This company claims to be a friend of business, yet, I see it as crushing small businesses, the one thing that they used to support. Let me explain.

The T-Mobile high-level request:

I am taking this right from the T-Mobile petition found at https://ecfsapi.fcc.gov/file/106191696422731/T-Mobile%203.5%20GHz%20Petition%20for%20Rulemaking%20–%2012-354%20–%206.17.2017.pdf in case you want to verify.

T-Mobile proposes that the Commission initiate a rule making proceeding to:

Auction all 150 megahertz of spectrum in the 3.5 GHz band as PALs, with GAA use opportunistically throughout the band.
Authorize PALs on a standard, ten-year license term with renewal expectancy.
Make all PALs available at auction, regardless of the number of applications received.
Permit bidding on specific PAL blocks.
Use Partial Economic Areas (“PEAs”) to license PALs.
Require SAS protection of Citizens Broadband Radio Service Device (“CBSD”) registration information.
Make minor changes to the technical rules governing the 3.5 GHz band.

The statement that I protest is “Auction all 150 megahertz of spectrum in the 3.5 GHz band as PALs, with GAA use opportunistically throughout the band.” This seems like a spectrum grab for the rich. They are trying to crush any small business or enterprise that needs private LTE. While they are selfish in grabbing what they can, they are crushing those who are smaller and in their eyes, less significant.

Honestly, it upsets me that T-Mobile would even suggest keeping all the spectrum for the carriers. They claim to be the uncarrier, yet, that is precisely what we would expect a large faceless organization to do and say! T-Mobile is saying, “I want it all for myself” or maybe you could interpret it as, “It’s my sandbox, and I don’t want you in it!”. I see this as what a large corporation would do when faced with losing a little business. They bully the government into stopping entrepreneurs from building their business so they can grab all the business.

Why does this matter? Because in the USA you have no shot of building a wireless broadband business unless you have billions of dollars to hand over to the FCC. It has stifled and shut down small business. Hey, I love Wi-Fi and the unlicensed spectrum, but the reality is that it is not enough to build a sustainable business with creative business practices. I congratulate Boingo for making it work, way to go! However, to play in the licensed spectrum, you need to bow down to the carriers. It’s not an easy business, and the CCA members outside of Sprint and T-Mobile know that. They are working hard to survive with the leftover spectrum that they have. They can’t live without the big 4, and they know that.

I looked at the CBRS as an opportunity for innovation to happen with the local businesses, the enterprise, the warehouses, the smaller businesses that could innovate in ways that the carrier just don’t care to do unless it appeals to the masses, in their eyes anyway.

This is about freedom and small business. It’s not about T-Mobile’s agenda to own all the spectrum. Don’t get me wrong, I think that the spectrum designated for the PAL should have longer license terms, but they need to stop there and make sure the lightly licensed spectrum is free for all who follow the rules.

While T-Mobile apparently doesn’t see it, they could be able to partner with the small business without rolling out small cells everywhere. They could take this opportunity to work with local businesses to expand their footprint without deploying thousands of small cells in all those areas which they wouldn’t deploy anyway.

Let’s be clear about how this hurts innovation that small business can provide.

Let me very clear about how this will crush small business. The part that I am upset with is, “Auction all 150 megahertz of spectrum in the 3.5 GHz band as PALs, with GAA use opportunistically throughout the band.” Not the rest. I really could care less. Why does this upset me, because it would crush the small business who wants to deploy for a specific reason in a given area?

How is T-Mobile hurting smaller businesses? Let me count the ways:
1. Small business can only access license free bands in Wi-Fi. Maybe LTE-U in the ISM band. This band is already overcrowded, but it has allowed for innovation and opened the door for businesses to grow, outside of the carrier space.
2. Innovation by small business is key, if the carriers own the entire spectrum, then the innovation that comes from small businesses will be crushed in favor of the large carriers pushing their agenda.
3. T-Mobile in their quest for more spectrum is enticing the FCC with money, obviously. The other large companies are jumping on board to support this. Do you see this as a David versus Goliath? The Larger corporation is pushing government around to get what they want.
4. How can a small business innovate LTE systems if they don’t have spectrum to work in? How can they serve the enterprise, warehouses, factories, and other private LTE systems? They can’t, and the carriers made it clear that they will NOT spend the money to do this either. So, in going through with this, you have hurt vertical markets which the carriers, like T-Mobile, deem as too small to serve or maybe not enough profit to support. Ask them if they would put small cells in a building that is under 10,000 square feet, would they, go ahead, ask them.

Listen, this is personal for me too. I am one of the people who would love to innovate and deploy systems in the CBRS. I see great opportunity here for all to do this. I feel that the private LTE systems will solve problems for so many small businesses and open the devices to more than just the carriers. I see an expansion of the wireless ecosystem that we have never seen in history. It would free up enough broadband for us to show the FCC what is truly possible outside of the carrier’s realm. This of what we can do together! We can build stores that automate sales and stocking and ordering. It will automate warehouse work to the next level. It will allow secure and private communication in the enterprise. It will open private and secure communications systems where all they have now is Wi-Fi. It will allow neutral host small cells. It could allow small private wireless systems for a campus, secure and private. It’s exciting, and all of us could be involved! A secure system with video and data, all available to any experienced small business to deploy.

Let’s look at the pros and cons.

Pros:

The FCC could rake in another Billion dollars for the national debt.
More spectrum for the carriers to deliver 5G. By the way, did T-Mobile deploy all that 600MHz yet? Did AT&T deploy all of their spectrum? Did they?

Cons:

The carriers get all the spectrum, as they have now, stifling small business and innovation.
Innovation will be stifled unless the carriers see a mass appeal.
Private LTE systems will be limited to unlicensed bands sharing with Wi-Fi.
Small companies will be pushed out of the wireless arena again.
Enterprise systems will not have wireless LTE in their business plan unless the carriers allow it.
More spectrum for small business to deliver 5G.
All spectrum will be a commodity for the carriers and no other businesses unless they pay the carriers for service, outside of the ISM band which is already overcrowded.

The carriers will continue their monopoly on broadband spectrum in the USA.

What can I do?

Well, let me tell you, I have a list of what you specifically can do! Deadline is Monday, August 8^th!

Read this, http://transition.fcc.gov/Daily_Releases/Daily_Business/2017/db0622/DA-17-609A1.pdf and then go to step 2.
Go to http://apps.fcc.gov/ecfs/ and in the box that says, “Specify Proceeding” enter 12-354 and click on the proper docket, then hit search.
Then you should go to https://www.fcc.gov/ecfs/search/filings?proceedings_name=12-354&sort=date_disseminated,DESC
Then, at the left, it asks for “New Filing,” click that and enter your comments.

Plan B? There is another way to reach the FCC, through twitter.

@AjitPaiFCC for Commissioner Pai.
@FCC‏to ping the FCC

Let freedom ring, let the CBRS open to the public!

Let’s tell the FCC that this can’t happen.

Resources:

Be smart, be safe, and pay attention!

Wade4Wireless BlogCast

CBRS Deep Dive with Steve Martin

July 31, 2017 Wade Leave a comment

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I am so into CBRS, so when I had an opportunity to interview the CTO of Ruckus, Steve Martin, I jumped at it. I was lucky enough to learn even more about CBRS with this deep dive of knowledge from someone who has been working on it. Ruckus has developed devices that perform in the CBRS bands. I am a fan of Ruckus who is a provider of carrier class Wi-Fi systems, an OEM. When I heard they were planning to get into the CBRS game, I got excited and knew that I had to talk to them. Steve was nice enough to accept and go over how amazing the CBRS is. He is going give an overview of the CBRS part of the wireless eco system.

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Steve answers so many questions about CBRS. Ruckus has been actively pushing for CBRS to become the next wave of wireless deployments for the carriers, enterprise, and private LTE solutions. So much so they helped form the CBRS Alliance.

Tower Safety and Instruction has online training and eBooks at http://teltech-college.com/ where you can get drone, tower, safety, 5G, and deployment material on your laptop! TSI, making the best better.

Ruckus has done an amazing job deploying carrier grade Wi-Fi, outside and inside. They have complete systems to manage and provide Wi-Fi solutions such as controllers, switches, indoor radios, and outdoor radios. They have been suppliers for enterprise, carrier, and WISP customers. They are a high performance yet easy to deploy wireless OEM. They are cost-cost effective but innovative. They realized that Wi-Fi could not provide all the solutions, so they entered the realm of LTE in the CBRS band, getting me excited about Ruckus Wireless. They are providing new solutions, very innovative.

As everyone knows, I am excited about the CBRS spectrum opening because it’s available to more than just the carriers. It allows small and midsize businesses to build private LTE networks. Something that has been near impossible to do before. So now the carriers can handoff to an independent small cell. An independent small cell can host any carrier. It can be carrier neutral and host multiple carriers. How cool is that? We finally have a solution for the places where carriers won’t invest.

What about other use cases for factories and enterprise customers that want broadband and IOT applications on a dedicated LTE system? Problem solved!

Testing CDMA and LTE smartphones or UE devices? Get a great deal on a used and affordable ME7834L test setup here!

Ruckus was one of the founding members of the CBRS Alliance. The CBRS Alliance has grown from the original 6 to over 60 members.

Here are some questions I wanted to be answered.

How will the CBRS spectrum assignment work? (Licensing and spectrum assignment)
- Spectrum assignment will be like how a DHCP server grants and assigns an IP address. In this case, the radio will boot up and send a request to a server which assigns spectrum. Then the Spectrum Allocation Server, (SAS), allocates the bandwidth and spectrum for that specific location and radio. Steve explains more in the interview.
- You talk to an SAS vendor, like Federated Wireless or maybe Google, and they will set you up with a subscription. You would pay a monthly subscription to the SAS to make sure that the spectrum is assigned to you, so you’re
What are the spectrum usage tiers of the CBRS?
- The incumbents have been using for fixed satellite services and military radar.
- Now it’s going to be used for LTE coverage.
  - GAA – Generally Authorized Access – lightly licensed and open to all.
  - PAL – Priority Access License which is exclusive usage for that section of It’s the licensed part of the band with a guarantee of that spectrum.
- Can CBRS be used outdoors?
  - Yes, it can be utilized Just make sure that you have approval from SAS for the power level and the channel, which will most likely be the carriers.
  - You can build a 50W base station if needed. Not everywhere, but in designated areas. That is a macro site in my eyes.
- Can CBRS provide coverage for companies outside of the carrier space?
  - Yes, anyone can apply for spectrum and deploy.
- How will it help the enterprise user?
  - Now the enterprise can go beyond Wi-Fi and have a clean LTE system to work with that is dedicated spectrum for their service.
- Private LTE systems?
  - Industrial IOT systems for IOT.
  - Fixed wireless applications.
  - Enterprise solutions for a dedicated wireless system that can handoff.
  - Rural broadband solutions. (A different use case altogether.)
  - Private broadband LTE solutions for anything you can imagine.
  - Anything that you thought of now can be done for more than just the carriers. Get creative here! If you have a problem that needs a wireless and secure solution, here it is.
- Will the cable companies use this spectrum?
  - Yes, it will make it easier for them to use what they have and build out their mobile systems using a combination of licensed, Wi-Fi, and CBRS.
- What are the roadblocks keeping carriers from providing better indoor coverage?
  - DAS systems are a fine solution for larger venues where the carriers see a business case to invest, like NFL and MLB stadiums. What about the smaller to mid-size buildings? How can they be served when the carriers don’t see a cost-effective way to deploy? They don’t want to pay for it, or at least not a DAS system for a few customers. Now they have the CBRS small cells which can fill that gap.
- Will CBRS be cost-effective to deploy?
  - Yes!
- Will CBRS spectrum help the smart city?
  - Of course! It will bring new solutions to the IOT applications in smart It will increase the smart building availability, and allow small systems to be built for specific purposes in any city. It will eventually allow new and dedicated smart city functions to deploy everywhere cost effectively.
  - Ruckus has supported the LinkNYC
- Will smartphones have this spectrum in them?
  - Expect to see it in 2018.
- Who will use this spectrum moving forward?
  - Carriers, cable companies, enterprise users, industrial IOT, smart cities, utilities, and more.
- Can the CBRS small cells solve carrier’s coverage solutions?
  - Yes, indoors and out. It’s a great solution for fill and capacity.
- Is it possible to have multiple carriers on one small cell?
  - YES! Multiple LTE carriers on one Small Cell!
  - This will be a more economical way to deploy small cells to fill holes.

Steve is a wealth of knowledge and someone who is so easy to talk to. Just a great conversation and I strongly recommend that you listen to learn more. I enjoyed talking to him, and I love the way they (Ruckus) envision CBRS LTE systems. It made me want to jump on the Ruckus bandwagon. What a thrill to be part of this time in history. The FCC did something here that will be groundbreaking for the world if it’s successful. They opened new spectrum for use beyond the carriers and into the hands of all American businesses.

The Wireless Deployment Handbook Paperback

The Wireless Deployment Handbook eBook that covers professional carrier end to end deployment of LTE small cells, CRAN, and DAS showing you the proper way to plan for deployment then execute.

This goes beyond the spectrum repack where they migrated the spectrum from broadcast to the carriers, which was great for the carriers. Now they opened spectrum for the rest of the industry allowing innovation to happen outside of the carriers. I can’t wait to see how people solve their problems using private LTE systems. They could connect to a dedicated device or roam onto a smartphone for all to use. We live in exciting times once again, innovation still live! Thank you, FCC, for doing this!

Steve Martin is the Chief Technology Officer of Ruckus. He holds many positions in industry groups. He is on the CBRS Alliance Board of Directors and the Wireless Broadband Alliance Board of Directors. Just a great guy all around. He has been with Ruckus since 2006 but became the CTO in 2017, congratulations, Steve!

The 5G Deployment Plan Book, be ready to deploy!

Ruckus Wireless is a carrier class Wi-Fi company that offers best in class Wi-Fi systems. Based in beautiful Sunnyvale, Ca, the high-tech company has provided outdoor and indoor wireless solutions for over a decade. Brocade recently acquired Ruckus, and then Brocade got bought by Broadcom, and then Ruckus was being spun out and then bought by Arris International, the story found here, where Ruckus will be a division of Arris. Arris is an amazing company that provides equipment to many of the cable companies worldwide. Cable companies deploy wireless everywhere, so the acquisition makes perfect sense to me. FYI, it’s cool that Arris has a racing club, learn more at http://www.arris.com/ARRISRacing/ if interested. I am quickly becoming a fan of Arris.

Learn more at https://www.ruckuswireless.com/company/overview and contact them at https://www.ruckuswireless.com/contact or email them at info@ruckuc.com to get more information and learn all you can about becoming a big dog!

How do you plan goals? Now you can plan 5 Weeks at a time! The 5-week Planning Journal, (click here), available now in paperback from Amazon!

Be smart, be safe, and pay attention!

See Ya!

Do you know what to put in your SOW, the details needed to get paid for milestones or job completion?

Hubble Foundation helps the families of climbers in a time of need and beyond with financial support and counseling!

Tower Family Foundation supports the families of tower climbers at the time of crisis when a climber falls with financial assistance and more.

Putting together your smart city tech solutions, planning, development, and more….TechFecta! Guiding you to a better plan through consulting!

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Art King Teaches CBRS

July 25, 2017 Wade Leave a comment

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On today’s show, I have Art King of SpiderCloud, the King of Enterprise small cells is back on the show, he was on in 2016, link found here.

Do you wonder about enterprise small cells and their applications? Have you wondered what CBRS is? How does CBRS work? Who watches the licenses? How is the spectrum managed?

My big question, will the CBRS small cell be a neutral host small cell for multiple carriers? I also want to know about the use cases for this spectrum, one thing that would work outside of the carrier’s domination of spectrum.

Tower Safety and Instruction has online training and eBooks at http://teltech-college.com/ where you can get drone, tower, safety, 5G, and deployment material on your laptop! TSI, making the best better.

Learn all this am more sports fans! Art goes over the CBRS spectrum and how will the spectrum allocation and licensing happen. It would be better if you listen to the Podcast instead of just looking at these high-level notes. I just could not keep up with all his knowledge!

We met at the NeDAS show in 2016, and I have tried to stay in touch ever since. He is always busy trying to improve the SpiderCloud footprint, and he has been doing a great job. They had a partnership with Cisco for years that helped them get noticed. SpiderCloud has proven that the enterprise model works for licensed spectrum.

I wanted to speak to Art this time because I need to understand the CBRS and how it works. I also want to see what business models he would have for indoor. I then found out that SpiderCloud is going to venture into the great outdoors! WOW! To me, this is a breakthrough, and they intend to do it with the CBRS product they are going to roll out. There is a blog about it here, https://blogs.cisco.com/sp/wait-for-it-wait-for-it-5g-its-here if you want to learn more.

Testing CDMA and LTE smartphones or UE devices? Get a great deal on a used and affordable ME7834L test setup here!

The thing that has me excited is that they created http://spidercloud.com/cbrs to help people like me build up my knowledge about CBRS. I need all the help I can get!

What about those questions? Here is my attempt to answer, but best to hear Art answer them in the interview. You do not want to miss it!

Do you wonder about enterprise small cells and their applications?
- Yes, otherwise you would not be reading this!
Have you wondered what CBRS is?
- CBRS is the Citizens Broadband Radio Service which is in the USA and works in the 3.5GHz band to provide spectrum solutions for 3 major groups. The FCC has provided 150MHz of spectrum that is a combination of licensed and lightly licensed here in the USA.
- It includes 2 LTE bands, band 42 – 3.55GHZ to 3.66GHz and band 43 – 3.66GHz to 3.70GHz.
- User access setup for:
  - PAL – Priority Access Licenses who have 10MHz channels in the 3.55GHz to 3.65GHz bands
  - GAA – General Authorized Access is anyone dynamically allocated that can use any portion of the band if they do not interfere with the PAL. Hey GAA, be a pal and stay away from the PAL operators!
How does CBRS work?
- Like any small LTE network in the 3.5GHz band.
Who watches the licenses?
- There is a system like called the ASA
How is the spectrum managed?
- Through a system called SAS, Spectrum Access System where the groups getting on the system will pay a small fee, I don’t know what that is yet, to be assigned spectrum. Whatever spectrum is open in that area. If someone else is a priority user, they automatically get that Otherwise, you get open spectrum. Location matters.
- Look at it like this, on a laptop if you are on a shared network a DNS, Domain Name Server would assign your IP address automatically. This would be a similar system assigning you spectrum for your specific area. If someone else comes in you would have priority unless they were a PAL, then they would get their spectrum.
- Federated Wireless has championed this effort, http://www.federatedwireless.com/resources/sas/
Will the CBRS small cell be a neutral host small cell for multiple carriers?
- Yes, not only is it possible, but this is what the carriers want to get out of this.
What use cases are there for CBRS?
- It is new, so not many use cases, but SpiderCloud put together a document for private LTE networks, http://spidercloud.com/assets/pdfs/SpiderCloud%20Private%20LTE.pdf, which you can download and use to build your business case. Feel free to get it and plan.
How do I learn more?
What does the FCC say?
- Remember that the world is watching to see if this is a success in the US.
  - https://www.fcc.gov/rulemaking/12-354
- If you’re wondering where the protected Earth stations are, the FCC put together an excel spreadsheet which can be accessed from here:
  - https://www.fcc.gov/general/35-ghz-band-protected-fixed-satellite-servicefss-earth-stations#block-menu-block-4
- Art mentioned a CBRS Race Car test by Nokia, here is more information on that test:

___________________________________________________________________________

The Wireless Deployment Handbook Paperback

The Wireless Deployment Handbook eBook that covers professional carrier end to end deployment of LTE small cells, CRAN, and DAS showing you the proper way to plan for deployment then execute.

__________________________________________________________________

Who is Art King? Art is the Director of Marketing for SpiderCloud Wireless Inc. He has extensive experience in the enterprise from his years as the Global Infrastructure Architecture Lead at Nike, impressive, right? Well, he also is a Board Member of the Small Cell Forum, an outstanding site where you can learn more and more about small cells. Learn more about Art at LinkedIn. If you met Art, you would really like Art, a combination of technical genius and charm which is a winning combination in my book. I call Art the King of Enterprise Small Cells because he and SpiderCloud championed the business case and the growth of the enterprise small cell better than anyone. They worked hard to build the business case, and they saw a glimpse of what the enterprise can do with licensed spectrum. Many other companies have followed this disruptor, but they all came in later. Art was key to making this happen.

The 5G Deployment Plan Book, be ready to deploy!

SpiderCloud, http://www.spidercloud.com/, is a wireless small cell company that specialized in enterprise small cells and have worked with major carriers in the US to deploy indoor small cells. They are a member of the CBRS Alliance, one of the founding members in fact. The membership has grown in the last year.

Special note, Corning just acquired SpiderCloud, the story is here. While SpiderCloud partnered with Cisco for a long time, they never took the next step to purchase SpiderCloud, but Corning sees real value here. They know that they can step up the game and use this as another tool in their arsenal. It is another weapon in their portfolio and one that makes CommScope very nervous.

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Wade4Wireless BlogCast

Indoor Connectivity for the Smart City

July 3, 2017 Wade Leave a comment

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I know what you’re thinking, indoor connectivity, why does that matter for the smart city? What is indoor connectivity for the smart city? Is it part of a smart building? I mean really Wade, who cares? Indoor connectivity will matter just as much as outdoor connectivity. After all, the smartphone should not stop working when you go into a building. If your phone stops working, how does that make you feel? It sucks, right! What about public safety, they can’t have their radios die the minute they go into a building, that could mean death, literally, for them or whoever needs help. Indoor connectivity should be thought of as crucial for any city, much less a smart city.

Do you stop using your device when you go inside any building? Seriously? Of course not, you don’t expect it too.

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Indoor coverage included the entire building. It’s sad when you see a disaster happen and people don’t have coverage in the obvious places in a disaster, like the stairwells or the closets or basements. Why is that? Because normally people don’t go there and the building owner didn’t want to pay for something that no one would normally use. That is why there are regulations, in some cities, to make sure that at least the emergency bands used by fire and police are working in those areas. The local fire departments and radio shops can put this in and test it. However, most business people don’t enforce this because they know that businesses and building owners do not want to pay for it. We all think it’s OK until a fire or a terrorist attack happens and the people inside can’t communicate because they are in dead zones. In an emergency, a dead zone could mean that the people could die because they could not reach help. That often gets overlooked just to save a few dollars in many cities.

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So, when planning a smart city, the regulations matter, the rules to define whether a company needs to have the best coverage, wired and wireless, in their building really matters in the grand scheme. Why not think it through and look at what has happened in the past. Take the necessary measures to ensure that buildings are being built to the proper code for structure and safety.

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Fiber

We still need fiber inside the building. Run it to every floor if possible. We really need fiber not only from the outside in but from the demarcation to each floor and across every floor. We need to connect every data and computer room. Even the emergency systems, the alarms systems will need to be connected. They will also need redundancy, just in case some contract goes crazy with a drill or a reciprocating saw, I have seen this first hand with wires, pipes, and power. It happens!

Fiber matters for what we want to do, the way we want to go. Broadband is what we all need to some point. Whether it’s back to an internet connection or if its dedicated fiber to a specific location for a specific purpose, we want fiber. After all, it connects the world. We all thought that satellites would do that, and they do, but they have too much delay. Fiber needs to be laid, but it works so well and opens new options.

Cable & Copper

Cable companies will be running their solutions to these building. They may even use fiber to get in the building, but they may rely on cable and CAT5 to distribute throughout the building once they are in.

CAT5 and CAT6 will be crucial. Ask any data center, any enterprise, any company that thinks they can run without having data lines all over the offices. Sure, they rely on Wi-Fi and small cells, but what feeds the Wi-Fi and small cells? That’s right, either fiber but most likely CAT5. It’s been around for a long time, and it’s not going anywhere.

I know most of you think that fiber will take over, but until fiber can carry power, (spoiler alert – it can’t alone!), then we need CAT5 or CAT6 or whatever else they come out with. CAT5 has been used for over 15 years, and it’s still going strong. Don’t deny it, we love wireless, but we need CAT5 somewhere.

Wi-Fi

This is the obvious thing that we all expect to see everywhere. I don’t think I need to cover this issue because almost every public area has Wi-Fi and most offices have it as well.

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LTE-U

This is going to be on the same spectrum as Wi-Fi and the carriers are excited because the handoff from licensed LTE spectrum to unlicensed LTE is almost seamless if it’s setup properly. This will be a game changer for all the carriers to share loading with devices in the ISM license-free band. WOW! A way for your smartphone to hand off its data and VoLTE, (Voice over LTE) calls to a spectrum that should not cost you any data on your plan.

If this can be put on every device, I would see it really is a game changer for the carriers to hand off to almost any vendors units. With the coming of age of the cloud and mobile edge computing, MEC, we will see things improve greatly.

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Public safety bands

This is critical, but it’s an unknown. I don’t talk about public safety bands much because it’s going to go through changes. These departments still need to have the urgent PTT, (Push to Talk), Voice access because it’s reliable and immediate. We don’t want to wait for the emergency responders to be able to communicate in an emergency.

They still need data to work their laptops and gather information. FirstNet is taking care of this with their recent partnership with AT&T to provide dedicated coverage for first responders. I am waiting to see how this plays out. I am glad that first responders will have a priority channel, but most of them already have smartphones. They don’t all have devices paid for by their jobs, many use their personal devices and coverage plans because not all governments have the budget to supply everyone with what they need.

What does 5G deployment mean? Find out, “The 5G Deployment Plan“, in PDF, eBook, and Paperback!

For the emergency responders, there are rules in many areas that require buildings to put in DAS systems or radios so that emergency responders have coverage as I said before. I have no idea who has this requirement and who doesn’t. It really seems to vary, even within cities.

While the public safety aspect will weigh heavily in the smart city planning, it should be thought of as part of the wireless and wireline deployment. Please don’t make it an afterthought. It will take regulations to ensure that all indoor coverage is thought out and planned properly.

How do you plan goals? Now you can plan 5 Weeks at a time! The 5-week Planning Journal, (click here), available now in paperback from Amazon!

DAS systems

DAS systems are still booming in high density and high traffic areas. They are being upgraded. While small cells are making a dent, they are being used together to provide better coverage for less cost.

You see, the original DAS systems could include a Macro site to feed it for the system to reach all the areas of the building, stadium, or whatever you’re trying to cover. Now they can feed it with small cells. Now they can transport the signals digitally, meaning that instead of coax cable they can run fiber and use power from a local connection point or even run things through router and power the radio head with PoE, (Power Over Ethernet) which is really a great way to deploy.

DAS, (Distributed Antenna System), is a great way to get the signal out to the people, but it’s a financial commitment that small and some mid-size businesses don’t want to pay for. The carriers no longer see a payback on these systems, and they are looking for a less expensive way to get the signal out to the people.

Hey, I love DAS systems. They are crucial for the wireless infrastructure to cover venues. But the carriers are looking for more cost-effective ways to get the signal out. Now that we entered the age of a seamless digital network using LTE for wireless we can distribute the signal using fiber and CAT5 cable instead of the coaxial cable and splitters and analog amplifiers that we relied on in the past. DAS systems have evolved and will continue to evolve to meet the needs of today’s market.

CBRS

I have been speaking about how the spectrum of 5G will shift into the hands of the small business once again. The US CBRS is the 3.5GHz band, which runs from 3550 to 3700 MHz band. CBRS stands for Citizens Broadband Radio Service (I remember the CB, Citizens Band, here in the US). It is a lightly licensed spectrum, but it is split up into 2 areas. There is Military radar, and Earth stations that use this spectrum that is grandfathered in and have priority access. That will not change. There will be Authorized Shared Access, (ASA). Currently in the US only, but Europe is looking to follow suit with Licensed Shared Access, (LSA).

ASA includes:

Incumbent access including the federal government and satellite providers.
Priority access licenses (PAL) which are 7 10MHz licenses to be awarded to the highest bidders. PALs will be protected from the GAA users. PAL will include commercial users like carriers, rural operators, are a 3-year license with only 1 renewal term allowed now, and will be in the 3500 to 3650 portion of the spectrum. One licensee can hold only 4 PAL licenses.
General access user, (GAA) which is “Licensed by rule” which requires the rules to be followed. This will be dedicated in the 3650 to 3750 MHz portion of the band.
A PAL may gain additional GAA spectrum.
Companies that currently have this spectrum licenses will be able to keep their licenses; this was used for WiMAX in the past, now it will be LTE focused.
Licensing will be done by the Spectrum Allocation System, (SAS), which is a group that can charge for these services, currently being led by Google and Federated Wireless.
Hardware vendors include SpiderCloud, Ruckus, Nokia, Ericsson, Samsung, ip.access, and Acceleron.

I was reading a report by ABI Research that mentions several articles pointing to Verizon Wireless plans to use CBRS to replace middle price DAS systems, the articles in RCR and Fierce Wireless using CBRS as the neutral host solution. Then it shows how Nokia added the CBRS to its Airscale product and the Ruckus OpenG product to follow suit. Not to be outdone but Acceleron also has a CBRS product. Just to be fair, Spidercloud was one of the first to have a CBRS product. It spears that Spidercloud is already reaching out the DAS vendors and Verizon to bridge the gap for smaller DAS systems. We shall see more of SAS, (Small Cell Antenna Systems) popping up to replace the smaller DAS systems.

Could CBRS solve the DAS middleware problem? Could CBRS products fill the void where no one wants to invest in those 100,000 to 500,000 square feet venues where it is too small for a carrier but too large for a small cell? Is this the savior we are looking for? I hope so! A clean way to hand off and a lightly licensed spectrum where we would not all be trampling on each other in the Wi-Fi space. I see a solution that could solve so many issues, financial and technical.

This will mostly be an indoor solution, something where we could replace some DAS system with a common platform licensed spectrum that all the carriers and non-carriers could share to reach the dense population, it will be used for enterprise and outdoor coverage as a critical part of the 5G network slice. I am looking forward to seeing what small businesses can do with this spectrum to serve the people.

If you want a quick overview, here are 2 links that can help:

I see CBRS filling the public venues with an alternative to smaller DAS systems by dropping in a CBRS small cell with multiple bands to provide a lightly licensed signal where the carriers would roam onto this device. Clean signal without the threat of another access point going up on the same band(s).

Factories have connected systems that may not be so reliant on Wi-Fi. Now they can dedicate a specific carrier to that function inside the factory so that no one may share it. Keep that spectrum dedicated for the machines and very low latency so that no one else can use it, jump on it, or break it. That is a game changer for indoor wireless!

I often overlook the use of indoor wireless for factories and distribution warehouses. This is a great use case for indoor wireless and one that needs low latency as well as dedicated spectrum. You want to keep it secure and dedicated for one purpose. Here is a perfect spectrum that they can add to any machine in their system. It helps to cut down on issues due to latency. Distribution will need to provide accurate order filling, and factories will need to have real-time feedback on how the machines are performing or if they need to make changes.

CBRS will allow small business and Enterprise to have their lightly licensed spectrum, something that the FCC has kept from small business for quite some time. I get it, they make billions on the auctions, but it has not helped small business broadband. They feel the ISM band was enough for them to build on. I feel differently. Now I see opportunity in CBRS, centimeter wave and millimeter wave spectrums. Let’s deploy and bring broadband and narrowband to the masses! Broadband for internet access and narrowband for IOT access. It’s exciting to see the industry have more opportunity again!

How secure could you make a CBRS system? You could have a dedicated band just for your internal use and only have it on your devices. Invisible to the outside world but giving you the bandwidth that you need in your office, warehouse, or factory.

We have seen the players be OEMs and carriers and other integrators in this space. Who has been conspicuously absent has been the cable companies. Here is space where they can shine, grow, and spread beyond Wi-Fi without building an ironclad agreement with one carrier. They have the money and the deployment process to make this a phenomenal area of growth. I would like to think that SpiderCloud would be calling the cable companies with proposals and business cases. Just my opinion. It is time for the cable companies to make it happen in wireless deployment.

Inside coverage summary

So, to sum it up, there are plenty of options that you will have. Some you have control of and some you don’t. You also need to separate what the first responders will need and what other services will need. This is specific to the band and the coverage. It matters.

When planning, try not to think of just one service or area. Look at the building, then look at the service you want. Something like what I have below.

The building has:
1. Common areas like the entrance, the mezzanine, the food courts.
2. Emergency exits, stairwells, basements, rooftops and other areas that are only accessed by workers, contractors, and when there’s an emergency.
3. Office space that may be secure and locked occupied by tenants.
4. Rest rooms, public and tenant only.
5. Hallways where people could be walking at any given time.
6. Entrance and exit areas where people could stop to smoke on break or congregate.
Coverage for:
1. Public safety should cover the entire building.
2. Carriers will want to cover the common areas and some tenant offices.
3. IOT coverage for the meters, air conditioners, thermostats and other controls.
4. Private networks throughout the building in tenant spaces.
Emergency phone connections:
1. Elevators
2. Rooftops
3. One on each floor
4. Basement
5. Wherever the generators are located.

I hope this helps you what needs to be added to the buildings in a smart city.

Be smart, be safe, and pay attention!

See Ya!

Do you know what to put in your SOW, the details needed to get paid for milestones or job completion?

Hubble Foundation helps the families of climbers in a time of need and beyond with financial support and counseling!

Tower Family Foundation supports the families of tower climbers at the time of crisis when a climber falls with financial assistance and more.

www.techfecta.com

Uncategorized

CBRS and the Shift in Spectrum Ownership

April 17, 2017 Wade Leave a comment

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I have been speaking about how the spectrum of 5G will shift into the hands of the small business once again. Well, now there are more people on board with this theory. It seems that CBRS is making it all happen and IWCE had CBRS as one of its focal points. (Even though I could not make it this year, they talked about it!)

Tower Safety and Instruction has a new online school, check it out at http://teltech-college.com/ when you are ready to step up your learning in telecom!

Quick update, the US CBRS is the 3.5GHz band, which runs from 3550 to 3700 MHz band. CBRS stands for Citizens Broadband Radio Service (in remembrance of the CB, Citizens Band). It is a licensed spectrum, but it is split up into 2 areas. There is Military radar, and Earth stations that use this spectrum that are grandfathered in and have priority access. That will not change. There will be Authorized Shared Access, (ASA). Currently in the US only, but Europe is looking to follow suit with Licensed Shared Access, (LSA).

Here it is “The 5G Deployment Plan” available in PDF, Kindle, and Paperback!

ASA includes:

Incumbent access including the federal government and satellite providers.
Priority access licenses (PAL) which are 7 10MHz licenses to be awarded to the highest bidders. PALs will be protected from the GAA users. PAL will include commercial users like carriers, rural operators, are a 3-year license with only 1 renewal term allowed at this time, and will be in the 3500 to 3650 portion of the spectrum. One licensee can hold only 4 PAL licenses.
General access user, (GAA) which is “Licensed by rule” which requires the rules to be followed. This will be dedicated in the 3650 to 3750 MHz portion of the band.
A PAL may gain additional GAA spectrum.
Companies that currently have this spectrum licenses will be able to keep their licenses; this was used for WiMAX in the past, now it will be LTE focused.
Licensing will be done by the Spectrum Allocation System, (SAS), which is a group that can charge for these services, currently being led by Google and Federated Wireless.
Hardware vendors include SpiderCloud, Ruckus, Nokia, Ericsson, Samsung, ip.access, and Acceleron.

I have been continuously explaining how CBRS will become a major player if the vendors pick up on it. Well, Google seems very interested. My friend Tom Ulrich put together the following report that covers how Google is excited to work with this spectrum and how it is the new beachfront property. How it will open new doors for all of us to deploy over the next 5 years or so.

How do you plan goals? Now you can plan 5 Weeks at a time! The 5 week Planning Journal, (click here) ,available now in paperback from Amazon!

IWCE had entire workshops on it where all the big OEMs were there to promote the spectrum. They see great opportunity for growth here. One such workshop was “Building an Ecosystem for the CBRS Band” that had all the big players there. Nokia, Ericsson, Ruckus, Google, WISPA, Airspan, Federated Wireless, Comsearch, Telrad, and Cambium Networks were all presenting something about what they could do to contribute. They all see great potential in this. If you are a system integrator or do network implementation, then hopefully you see the potential as well.

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While this will mostly be an indoor solution, something where we could replace some DAS system with a common platform licensed spectrum that all the carriers and non-carriers could share to reach the dense population, it will be used for enterprise and outdoor coverage as a critical part of the 5G network slice. I am looking forward to seeing what small businesses can do with this spectrum to serve the people.

If you want a quick overview, here are 2 links that can help:

I focus mostly on the enterprise play here, but the reality is that we can use this spectrum for more than just indoor solutions. I see the spectrum to be used for new solutions like backhaul in the tough area or as a fixed wireless solution for placed where we need limited spectrum over short distances. I also see the carriers using this as a common small cell solution that can handoff from the licensed LTE spectrum we see today to be used to fill small holes without the very expensive LTE spectrum that they FCC auctioned off for a very high price. I see cost-effective small cells in public area where the more expensive solutions from, the bigger OEMs are not practical. Price matters, but the high cost of backhaul is one of the limitations that hold back deployment, along with permitting costs. All of this are restricting small cell deployment today causing the FCC to push legislation to streamline coverage. Everyone wants great coverage and high bandwidth, no one wants to see an ugly tower in their back yard.

Tom’s Report:

Tom did put together some notes from IWCE. Here is Tom’s report from IWCE, Is CBRS ending “Beachfront Spectrum”?

I had the pleasure to attend IWCE this week and was blown away by Dr. Preston Marshall’s {Alphabet/ Google} presentation on CBRS.

If I had to describe his presentation into 3 words it would be:

Ecosystem
Incentive
Innovation

Is the Ecosystem of Spectrum Landscape changing? Will CBRS end the need for Beachfront Spectrum?

It is first important to look closely at the “Current reality” of Wireless Spectrum: How does the current Spectrum landscape preclude innovation?

Licensed Spectrum is Expensive – Past Auctions cost the WSP’s Billions to own the right to this FCC Licensed Spectrum and only come available once every ~3-5 years. They also really limit the number of participant and winners. Do you have a Billion dollars to purchase spectrum for your “Garage idea of the Century?

Newly Licensed Spectrum roll outs are meticulously planned and take forever to plan/ execute. They often force the WSP’s to commit to the next technology type before knowing how successfully adopted it will be. Even after the Spectrum purchase, Look at how many Billions of Dollars were committed in development/ deployment in WiMAX for Intel, Google, & Sprint before changing to an LTE-based solution. Look at how difficult turning off old technology types {Analog, iDEN, GSM, UMTS, & CDMA} have become.

Spectrum is Slow to deploy and can take 6-8+ years to clear spectrum, raise funding, and establish a product rollout. Look at failed Spectrum rollouts like Lightsquared, Next-Wave, etc. Some companies like Dish have even had the forward though of saving spectrum, waiting for the next technology shift, or WSP Spectrum shortage to capitalize on their dormant Wireless portfolio.

In today’s unlicensed wireless ecosystem it encourages OEM’s to make cheap, lousy radios that do not perform very well with interference present. 802.11 Wireless AP’s are often a cheap commodity that needs to be upgraded or replaced every 3-5 years. How much innovation can we drive with a $40 access point? This often drives the race to the bottom on who can create the least cost AP.

How does CBRS set-up to change the Spectrum Landscape and Drive Innovation?

Dr. Marshall stated, “CBRS will make spectrum buying an economic decision.” It incentivizes stakeholders to maximize their ability to deflect interference and operate with radios that can perform in a noisier shared spectrum environment.

Dr. Marshall detailed his 4 step plan to rolling out CBRS

Regulatory – Helped get FCC approval, help develop standards within the Wireless Innovation Forum, and CBRS Alliance. Established FCC Part 96.
Coexist – Creating an ecosystem environment for Multiple Technologies and Stakeholders
Recruit – Recruit top talent and buy-in from Wireless industry
Prove – Further innovate standards, product, Solutions, and Applications.

CBRS creates a Wireless Ecosystem that now will encourage innovation and allows for fast, less expensive rollouts. Why not put a solution in the Marketplace and let the market decide how well it is adopted before committing to extensive field trials and Millions of dollars?

Dr. Marshall detailed that this Spectrum Landscape is sustainable to support additional shared spectrum bands, and may hold some of the keys on Business models, and landscape of 5G.

Special thanks to Tom for sending this back to us.

Now, my opinion. We have seen the players be OEMs and carriers and other integrators in this space. Who has been conspicuously absent has been the cable companies. Here is space where they can shine, grow, and spread beyond Wi-Fi without building an ironclad agreement with one carrier. They have the money and the deployment process to make this a phenomenal area of growth. I would like to think that SpiderCloud would be calling the cable companies with proposals and business cases. Just my opinion. It is time for the cable companies to make it happen in wireless deployment.

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Carrier Aggregation and Private LTE

LAA – Licensed Assisted Access

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CBRS – Citizen’s Broadband Radio System

Carrier Aggregation made this possible!

What about the devices?

How can this help you?

Summary:

Resources:

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Why Private LTE?

Why would I want a private LTE system?

What is the CBRS?

Your Private LTE Network

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EPIC X FAIL!

Why does this matter?

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The T-Mobile high-level request:

Let’s be clear about how this hurts innovation that small business can provide.

Let’s look at the pros and cons.

Pros:

Cons:

What can I do?

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What about those questions? Here is my attempt to answer, but best to hear Art answer them in the interview. You do not want to miss it!

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Fiber

Cable & Copper

Wi-Fi

LTE-U

Public safety bands

DAS systems

CBRS

Inside coverage summary

Be smart, be safe, and pay attention!

See Ya!

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Tower Family Foundation supports the families of tower climbers at the time of crisis when a climber falls with financial assistance and more.

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Tom’s Report:

Be smart, be safe, and pay attention!

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