CBRS Alliance will develop new technical specifications to complement 3GPP’s air interface for 5G services in the 3.5 GHz band
SUNNYVALE, Calif. – March 20, 2019 – Today, the CBRS Alliance, an industry organization focused on driving the development, commercialization, and adoption of OnGo™ shared spectrum solutions, announced the start of work on a new release of specifications that will support OnGo over 5G. As OnGo commercial services over LTE are poised for rollout, CBRS Alliance Release 3 will address support for 5G deployments using shared spectrum in the 3.5 GHz band.
“The shared spectrum paradigm presented by CBRS has immense potential to unlock value for carriers, equipment manufacturers and end users alike because of the new business models that become possible,” said Joe Madden, Principal Analyst at Mobile Experts. “By expanding the standards and capabilities to support 5G applications, we expect enterprises with short latency requirements and long time horizons to increase their investments in CBRS and technologies such as OnGo.”
The new specifications from the CBRS Alliance will complement 5G New Radio (5G NR), the new air interface developed by the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) to support the wide variety of 5G services, devices, and deployments. The latest release of 5G NR is expected to support operations in Band 48 and will improve the performance, flexibility, scalability and efficiency of mobile networks while enabling industries to get the most out of the available spectrum.
“Utilizing the CBRS band can be a key enabler for making 5G deployments possible. The Alliance is hard at work developing technical specifications to ensure that OnGo supports 5G applications as seamlessly as traditional LTE services,” said Gary Boudreau, Chair of the CBRS Alliance’s Technical Working Group. “The specifications in development include addressing coexistence requirements to ensure seamless interoperability between LTE and 5G NR in and out of Band 48, certificate-based authentication, and more.”
Globally, industry and government are focusing on 3.5 GHz as the primary mid-band spectrum for 5G, with testing taking in place in Europe, the Middle East and East Asia. In October 2018, the FCC made targeted changes to its rules governing the 3.5 GHz band that will facilitate the deployment of 5G wireless networks using this spectrum.
With initial commercial deployments of OnGo expected as early as Q2 2019, several use cases utilizing shared spectrum in the 3.5 GHz band will become available, such as neutral host networks, private LTE, and more. Use cases that require ultra-low latency, such as precision Industrial IoT (IIoT), will be ideal for extension into 5G services, setting the stage for the natural evolution of OnGo solutions.
Completion of Release 3 by the CBRS Alliance is expected to conclude in Q4 2019, enabling OnGo 5G service availability in 2020
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. 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.
About the CBRS Alliance
The CBRS Alliance believes that LTE-based solutions in the CBRS band, utilizing shared spectrum, can enable both in-building and outdoor coverage and capacity expansion at massive scale. In order to maximize CBRS’ full potential, the CBRS Alliance aims to enable a robust ecosystem towards making LTE-based CBRS solutions available. The mission of the CBRS Alliance is to evangelize LTE-based CBRS technology, use cases and business opportunities while simultaneously driving technology developments necessary to fulfill the mission, including multi-operator LTE capabilities. The Alliance will also establish an effective product certification program for LTE equipment in the US 3.5 GHz band ensuring multi-vendor interoperability. For more information, please visit www.cbrsalliance.org and follow the CBRS Alliance on LinkedIn and Twitter.
