Industry leaders, including AT&T, Charter, Motorola Solutions, Verizon, and WISPA gather to recognize massive opportunity of OnGo mobile connectivity
WASHINGTON, D.C. – September 18, 2019 – Today, the CBRS Alliance, an industry organization focused on driving the development, commercialization, and adoption of OnGo™ shared spectrum solutions, celebrated the start of Initial Commercial Deployment (ICD) of OnGo service in the CBRS 3.5 GHz band alongside key stakeholders, including Michael O’Rielly, FCC Commissioner; Frederick D. Moorefield, Jr., Department of Defense Deputy Chief Information Officer for Command, Control, Communications and Computers and Information Infrastructure Capabilities; and Diane Rinaldo, Assistant Secretary, National Telecommunications and Information Administration, Department of Commerce (Acting).
Held in Washington, D.C, the “OnGo Commercial Service: Share. Connect. Innovate” launch event recognized the extensive collaboration required to make the CBRS band available for public use. During the event, industry leaders, ranging from device manufacturers to network operators to managed service providers, as well as end-users, came together to discuss early ICD deployments.
“Today, we proudly celebrate CBRS service initiation and the opening of key U.S. mid-band spectrum for exciting new wireless services. Industry — from start-ups to established companies — are clamoring to begin unlicensed-like service in the band, with the ability to obtain licenses next year,” said FCC Commissioner Michael O’Rielly. “Moreover, the flexible, technology-driven solution designed to protect incumbents will provide benefits for years to come. Congrats to the CBRS Alliance and everyone who has played a role in making this happen!”
The breakfast event kicked off with a welcome and introduction by Dave Wright, President of the CBRS Alliance, exploring the economic value of OnGo and collaboration required between many businesses, organizations, and government agencies to bring OnGo to market. Wright also recognized vital stakeholders from the DoD and NTIA, as well as Anna A. Georges Eshoo, U.S. Representative for California’s 18th Congressional District, and Lee Pucker, CEO, Wireless Innovation Forum.
“On behalf of the nearly 150 organizations within the CBRS Alliance, we want to thank the government and industry leaders who helped us commemorate the start of OnGo commercial service. Over the past six years, our members have contributed incredible amounts of time, energy, and innovation to making OnGo a reality – and today, the 3.5 GHz CBRS ‘innovation’ band opened to a national audience,” said Wright. “OnGo delivers a new alternative to help address the increasing need for reliable, cost-effective wireless services. It introduces new economic opportunity for small and large businesses alike and will help address an industry-wide challenge of supporting new connectivity needs across the U.S.”
The event hosted presentations from mobile industry luminaries, covering a wide a variety of use cases, including indoor private LTE networks, rural broadband, fixed wireless, and many more. Presentations were delivered by:
- Hank Hultquist, Vice President of Federal Regulatory, AT&T
- Craig Cowden, Chief Network Officer and Senior Vice President of Enterprise Solutions, Charter
- Jerry Gard, Director of Engineering, Motorola Solutions
- Adam Koeppe, Senior Vice President for Technology Strategy and Planning, Verizon
- Claude Aiken, President and Chief Executive Officer, WISPA
To demonstrate the breadth and depth of the early use cases for OnGo, Verizon, Dallas Love Field Airport, Aristotle Wireless, American Dream Complex, and a large metropolitan rapid transit operator in Dallas showcased impactful deployment videos during the event, highlighting the usability, dependability, and cost-effectiveness of OnGo solutions.
FCC Commissioner O’Rielly then took the stage and highlighted the productive public-private partnership between industry players and government agencies, which enabled the CBRS band to become available for commercial wireless services. Additionally, O’Rielly recognized the shared spectrum opportunity, which provides OnGo solutions with the attributes of both traditional licensed and unlicensed wireless. Diane Rinaldo (NTIA) and Frederick D. Moorefield, Jr. (DoD) also took the stage to laud the unprecedented amount of coordination and joint development to prepare the industry for imminent deployments and certify components and devices.
To conclude the event, O’Rielly unveiled a map of OnGo deployments during the ICD phase, which showcased thousands of sites across the U.S.
ICD is scheduled to proceed for 30 days, with live results provided to the government for final review. These early commercial deployments will continue and expand, leading to certification and full commercial service in the fourth quarter of this year.
For more information on the CBRS Alliance, and a full list of member companies, please visit www.cbrsalliance.org.
About OnGo™
OnGo™ is uncompromised connectivity. An innovative approach to maximizing mobile broadband, OnGo is a technology that puts the power of wireless networks into the hands of those that rely on them to empower and expand business opportunities. OnGo presents nearly limitless options for enhanced customizability and allows users to tailor networks to a specific set of needs, such as Private LTE, neutral host and Industrial IoT applications, while providing investment protection as the first mid-band solution for 5G. OnGo Certified is a recognized seal of approval that indicates a product’s ability to meet a high set of quality, interoperability and security standards when tested by an independent, OnGo-Authorized test laboratory. Both the OnGo brand and the OnGo Certification Program are managed and maintained by the CBRS Alliance.
