
How Citizens Broadband Radio Service, or CBRS, Brings More People Together
Networks TechTalk with SamsungShow Notes
Rather than a CB radio service or some sort of community service broadcasting weather forecasts, CBRS is a shared spectrum approach allowing Mobile Network Operators to reach areas where it’s not possible to utilize fiber or other forms of connectivity.It also solves limitations like limited 4G LTE in remote areas and a lack of predictable latency, an inability to prioritize traffic and security limitations with Wi-Fi.Ashish Bhatia, Senior Technical Sales Engineer at Samsung Electronics America, said new FCC rules allows for shared use of the 150 MHz spectrum in the 3.5 GHz band from 3.55 to 3.70 GHz on a licensed basis, a complicated sounding way of saying there now can be shared tiers.“It breaks down like this – using a three-tier sharing model, users are broken down into tiers based on priority that go from tier one, incumbent users, to tier two, commercial users with priority access licenses, and tier three, where general, authorized users live,” Bhatia said. “This categorization and shared access helps enable efficient use of finite spectrum resources.”With better indoor coverage and a high quality, reliable service, it should be something customers in those areas, whether commercial or residential, are pleased to utilize, as well.“The CBRS spectrum can be used for home broadband in rural or underserved areas where fiber or other forms of connectivity aren’t possible,” Bhatia said. “For enterprises, with the use of small-cell infrastructure supporting the CBRS bands, they can have direct control over their network coverage with high quality of service and little to no licensing fees, because the spectrum is shared.”It all works together to provide an exciting opportunity for MNOs and their customers.Networks TechTalk podcast was previously named Recalibrate with Samsung Networks.
More from Networks TechTalk with Samsung
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Fixed Wireless Access, or FWA, has emerged as a powerful enabler in the mobile landscape and is one method being used to fulfill the growing user demand for data. FWA is another offering to provide high-speed internet access to homes, businesses, and remote areas without relying on traditional wired connections like fiber or cable lines for the ‘last mile’ of connectivity. The demand for FWA itself among broadband users is growing with analyst firms expecting FWA users to reach 14-18 million in 2027 in the United States.
With much of the world standing on the brink of mainstream 5G usage, operators are looking for ways to extract maximum value from their network investments – essentially trying to figure out how to monetize 5G. Operators have spent the past few years on things like spectrum, working to increase base stations needed for sufficient coverage and capacity, and implementing new software tools that allow for autonomous networks and faster delivery of services and upgrades. Providers are now starting to take advantage of the high-speed, low-latency, and connectivity capacities that 5G brings to the market.
5G is the first wireless technology designed to be energy efficient and sustainable with an industry target of 90% improvement in spectral efficiency compared to 4G. This improvement, in large part, also requires energy efficiency in the equipment. Operators and vendors have devised several features to accomplish this goal including increasing spectrum bands supported in a single radio and Massive MIMO antenna capacity, beamforming, and an increasing the use of high-band frequencies. Samsung works to ensure our product experience at every step contributes to a sustainable world with eco-conscious technology and innovation. Samsung is a pioneer in vRAN, being the first to bring vRAN to market with software driven network functions to make networks more flexible and reduce processing and transmit power. Samsung is also helping to address energy efficiency with Power Amplifiers equipped with a Bias Control, dynamic download MIMO transmit paths, and with its low power, energy saving system-on-a-chip (SoC). With global mobile data traffic rates continuing to rise and applications requiring low-latency proliferating, networks will continue to densify, and the number of cell sites grow exponentially. Despite this, telecommunications industry is committed to finding ways to bring down the amount of power used and lowering our carbon footprint to run our networks. We are all excited to see the power saving techniques and features we’ve discussed today continue to advance around the globe. Watch and listen to this Networks Tech Talk episode to learn more about how Samsung and the telecommunications industry are investing in energy saving innovations and technologies.
Virtual Radio Access Networks, or vRAN, are the future of the radio access side of mobile operators’ networks. vRAN is software that runs on off-the-shelf servers rather than the proprietary, dedicated hardware that mobile network providers have been running for decades.