What are the Best Use Cases and Market Opportunities for CBRS?
When the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) adopted rules for shared use of 150 MHz of 3.5GHz band spectrum in April 2015, it set in motion a four-year race to initial commercial deployments (ICD) of CBRS technology.
Pending availability of the Institute for Telecommunication Sciences (ITS) report and the review and approval from the FCC and DoD, the ICD start date is expected in July or August 2019 for the General Authorized Access (GAA) portion of the band. The licensed portion, known as PALs, won’t be deployed until spectrum is auctioned and allocated in 2020.
In a few short weeks, the CBRS ‘innovation band’ will become commercially available and provide the much-anticipated capacity for wireless innovation. During the DSA Global Summit, wireless industry and regulatory experts will come together to discuss what the best use cases and market opportunities for CBRS are.
The Innovation Challenge
Turning opportunity into customer value will be the next challenge the industry will need to overcome. With CBRS, the wireless industry will be provided a toolbox of potential capabilities and a set of guidelines for deploying these valuable spectrum resources. While resource availability is certainly important, how shared spectrum is deployed to address real-life customer problems will determine the winners from the losers in this emerging and quickly evolving industry.
The DSA Global Summit panel discussion “3.5 – 3.7GHz Citizen Band Radio Service (CBRS) Rollouts – Use Cases and Marketplace Opportunities” on June 27th will bring together wireless and regulatory experts to discuss their views on the short and long-term market opportunities and regulatory challenges for CBRS.
Jennifer McCarthy, Vice President, Legal Advocacy at Federated Wireless will moderate the panel comprised of:
- Derek Peterson, CTO, Boingo Wireless
- Craig Sparks, CINO, C-Spire
- Dave Wright, President, CBRS Alliance and Director, Regulatory Affairs & Network Standards, Ruckus Networks
- Paul Powell, Assistant Chief, Mobility Division, Wireless Telecommunications Bureau, Federal Communication Commission (FCC)
Topics of Discussion
The panel will seek to address the viability of deploying private LTE cellular networks on CBRS at large public venues, such as airports and stadiums, to leverage favorable mid-band spectrum for seamless and secure connectivity in dense, high-trafficked areas. It will also analyze the potential for Enterprise applications for CBRS including corporate campuses, property management, hospitality, education and healthcare.
Other key topics include:
- The feasibility to support Industrial Internet of Things (IOT) use cases for ports, railroads and utility monitoring.
- Fixed Wireless use cases, especially in areas with underutilized spectrum and carrier-grade in-building installations that require voice continuity between indoor and outdoor, and Wi-Fi and CBRS networks.
- The CBRS ecosystem and what it will look like in the next 12 to 18 months as commercial deployments accelerate.
- The current and future regulatory climate for CBRS and how this may change as additional shared spectrum options become available in the future.
While CBRS provides an exciting opportunity to drive innovation and growth in the Wireless industry, use cases and deployment strategies that address the needs of the customer will be paramount in determining success in the market.
Join us at the “3.5 – 3.7GHz Citizen Band Radio Service (CBRS) Rollouts – Use Cases and Marketplace Opportunities” DSA Global Summit panel on June 27th at 1:30pm ET to hear thought leaders provide their recipe and predictions for CBRS success.