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Author Archives: Iyad Tarazi

 About Iyad Tarazi

Iyad Tarazi joined Federated Wireless from Sprint Corp., where he served as Vice President of Network Development and led the Network Vision network modernization project. Responsibilities included overseeing the development and integration of new products and technologies within Sprint’s networks and managing Sprint-Nextel’s technology integration labs.
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Achieving Top Innovator Status for Neutral Host Providers’ Enterprise 5G Solutions

Federated Wireless is recognized as a Top Neutral Host Innovator by ABI Research.

Earning recognition as a Top Innovator in enterprise 5G from respected research firms like ABI Research requires excellence across a range of criteria. ABI asks providers to demonstrate excellence on several different standards to earn Top Innovator status.

Based on ABI’s latest analysis, here is a closer look at what it took for Federated Wireless to be named a Top Innovator.

Flexible Deployment Models

A “one-size-fits-all” approach is unlikely to address the diverse requirements of enterprises adopting 5G. Top innovators need to support a wide variety of deployment models. Leaders leverage existing tower infrastructure for connectivity, extend public network coverage into buildings, or provide fully dedicated private networks on-premises. This enables providers to customize solutions based on each customer’s needs.

ABI’s recent analysis found that Federated Wireless exemplifies this flexibility by offering both full private network builds and neutral host options using shared infrastructure. We take this dual approach to enable us to serve a broader range of enterprise applications and environments.

Smart Monetization Strategies

As 5G managed service providers, top innovators rely on recurring revenue models rather than upfront CAPEX fees. But how do they set prices? The best providers utilize multiple indicators to land on fair and predictable pricing. Factors can include number of SIM cards, bandwidth consumption, KPIs, network usage, coverage, and operating hours.

Federated Wireless determines pricing based on a combination of connected devices, bandwidth levels, and coverage areas.

Robust Security

Today’s enterprises require iron-clad security, especially when handling sensitive data. While 5G offers inherent security benefits, ABI considers top innovators those that go above and beyond by leveraging technical expertise to further harden network protections. Federated Wireless was especially recognized by ABI for the strength of our 5G security approaches.

We draw on our experience providing spectrum sharing services to guarantee integrity for private 5G networks. Our heritage in managing shared cellular infrastructure securely gives us a leg up.

Technology Convergence

Solving pressing business problems requires more than just wireless connectivity. ABI considers top innovators those combine complementary technologies like edge computing, analytics, and AI to create complete solutions. Truly innovative companies understand how to smoothly orchestrate these technologies end-to-end to maximize value.

We more than fit the bill at Federated Wireless by providing connectivity through both distributed antenna systems (DAS) and cellular infrastructure. This combination allows us to support a diverse array of enterprise applications, from retail to manufacturing.

With thousands of customers, over 150,000 access points, and 50+ partners, ABI found that that we exemplify leadership across all its “Top Innovator” criteria. We look forward to continuing to forge leadership as we expand our enterprise- and defense-grade network solutions.

Learn more about Neutral Host 2.0.

The Unwavering Promise of America’s Wireless Future with Private Wireless

Close up American flags

This article originally appeared in RCR Wireless. 

If the White House’s $42.5B investment in Broadband, Equity, Access and Deployment (BEAD) signals anything, it’s this: While the 5G journey may — at the moment — appear to be slowing, our nation’s digital expansion is not.

Estimations of the global market potential remain robust: SNS Telecom & IT‘s latest research report indicates that global spending on private LTE and 5G network infrastructure for vertical industries will account for more than $6.4 billion by the end of 2026.

As recently published forecasts by global technology intelligence firm ABI Research highlight, the revenue opportunity for private cellular networks is forecasted to grow from almost $7 billion in 2023 to more than $96 billion by 2030.

5G is a critical part of our nation’s digital expansion and there is a commitment to it. Recent shifts in the market may cause apprehension, but they also reveal a landscape ripe with untapped potential and robust opportunities, most especially in community and municipal broadband.

Though an immediate recovery of the 5G market may or may not be on the horizon, with headwinds also come opportunities for innovative, affordable alternatives that are both supportive of 5G and ready to deploy today, like private wireless.

The long-term trend remains clear: The digitalization of our world continues apace, and the demand for high-speed, reliable networks will inevitably follow.

An overfocus on the traditional vendors can be misleading. You won’t want to miss where the real revolution and traction is happening: in the ecosystem, and with private wireless.

The next leap forward

Today, right now, private wireless solutions that bridge troublesome capacity, coverage, and connectivity gaps are solving for the problems that at one time only 5G was believed to be able to ameliorate.

The need for increasingly superior digital networks isn’t diminishing. Ongoing geopolitical considerations mean that the demand for secure, reliable and locally controlled infrastructure remains high. With these factors in play, the trajectory for private wireless, followed by 5G seems clear, irrespective of the market’s cyclical nature.

Indeed, the appetite for more powerful digital networks continues to grow. In a world that’s more connected than ever, we are witnessing an insatiable demand for faster speeds, reduced latency and higher capacity, all attributes integral to private wireless and ultimately 5G networks. From supporting high-resolution video streaming to enabling real-time data for autonomous vehicles, and from empowering Internet of Things (IoT) devices to revolutionizing healthcare with telemedicine — the applications are boundless.

Private, hybrid networks being leveraged by the Marine Corps are serving these IoT and IIoT requirements today, as I write this.

As we become more digitally intertwined, the need for secure and reliable network infrastructure has never been more critical. A strong, dependable digital network is not just a luxury but a necessity, a backbone supporting the data-driven economy. It’s not just about being able to stream the latest show without buffering; it’s about enabling a future where remote surgery, smart cities and fully autonomous vehicles become commonplace. Where schoolchildren can securely complete their homework at home, no matter where home is. Private wireless is instrumental in realizing these advancements.

Compounding technological necessities are geopolitical reasons that are driving the demand for better digital networks. There is acute global awareness of the strategic value of maintaining control over sovereign digital infrastructures, a factor that is promoting investment and development in 5G technologies.

This journey toward equitable, ubiquitous connectivity may have its bumps, but the destination—a world with extensive, secure and high-performing coverage — remains unchanged.

The role of private wireless: Hybrid and converged networks will reign

Private wireless is playing a crucial role in bridging the gap between 4G and 5G and enabling hybrid and converged networks, creating a smoother transition to the next generation of connectivity.

Private wireless networks provide secure, reliable and high-performance connectivity within a specified area like an industrial site, campus, or business park. Typically, private networks use 4G or 5G technologies to offer businesses control, security, flexibility and high speed they need to digitally transform their operations.

These networks allow for the hybridization and convergence of different network types and generations. Hybrid networks take advantage of both 4G and 5G infrastructure, ensuring reliable connectivity while also providing access to the higher bandwidths and lower latencies offered by 5G where available. As 5G coverage continues to expand, these networks can shift more heavily towards the newer technology.

Converged networks, on the other hand, combine different types of connectivity technologies — such as Wi-Fi, 4G and 5G — into a single, seamless network. This approach ensures robust coverage and reliability, providing the best available connection regardless of the user’s location or the specific task at hand.

This flexibility provided by private wireless networks in facilitating hybrid and converged networks is particularly valuable. Enterprises can start experiencing the benefits of 5G in a contained environment while maintaining the reliability of 4G connectivity. This approach also provides a testing ground for new 5G-enabled applications and devices, driving innovation and development in this space.

In this way, private wireless networks are not just bridging the technology gap but are also enabling organizations to prepare operationally and strategically for a 5G future. By adopting private networks, businesses and other entities can manage the transition at their own pace, ensuring they have the infrastructure and strategies in place to take full advantage of the benefits of 5G when the time comes.

It is also important to note that while private wireless networks are delivering on the promise described above, they also accommodate a seamless transition to public networks through solutions like a neutral host that provides the best of both worlds to the customer — a private network providing dedicated coverage and capacity for enterprise use cases, as well as a connection for their users to Public MNO networks for emergency services like e911.

The challenges facing 5G are being solved by private wireless networks. As the saying goes, there’s always calm before the storm. In this case, the storm is an exciting future powered by a robust and extensive 5G network, the groundwork of which is being laid today through the deployment of private wireless.

So let’s remember: the current pause isn’t a falter — it’s a deep breath before the next big leap.

Making Waves at Mobile World Congress Barcelona 2023

Our successful visit to Mobile World Congress (MWC) Barcelona 2023 made one thing clear: private wireless and shared spectrum have truly “arrived” … and nothing can stop our momentum in this space.

Alongside our partners at AWS, we issued key announcements illustrating our accelerating market share in private wireless; appeared on stage to present the benefits of private wireless in numerous industries and use cases; met with our closest partners, analysts, and media contacts; and brought our community together for a unifying celebratory event.

My key takeaway from the MWC? The appetite for private wireless and shared spectrum solutions has never been greater — and industry agrees.

An exploding market

The long-touted value of private wireless was validated by the analyst community at MWC.

Just ahead of the event, ABI Research issued a revised forecast for private 5G that predicted the market would be worth $96 billion by 2030, up from $7 billion in 2023.

AWS deepened its commitment to delivering private 5G, underscoring the market’s momentum. The hyperscaler (and our partner) announced the opening of a new marketplace called Integrated Private Wireless on AWS, which simplifies the process for enterprises to “discover, deploy, and manage private wireless networks.”

The program is designed to provide enterprises with access to managed and validated private wireless offerings from leading communications services providers (CSPs) including T-Mobile, Deutsche Telekom, Orange, and Telefónica.

The offerings integrate CSPs’ cellular networks with other AWS services (like the Snow Family of products). Integrated Private Wireless on AWS will also leverage the rich expertise of global AWS Independent Software Vendor (ISV) partners, like Federated Wireless, to speed up the time-to-value for private wireless deployments.

Market-shaping News

We issued some news of our own ahead of and at MWC: a spate of announcements with some of our key partners that demonstrate our accelerating momentum in private wireless, Wi-Fi 6E, private 5G, and spectrum management.

Our release with AWS featuring our partnership with JBG SMITH, showcased the private wireless solution we’re architecting for the real estate giant’s new development at National Landing in Arlington, Virginia. AWS and Federated Wireless are collaborating to deliver an end-to-end, fully managed private wireless solution for tenants at the sprawling new campus. The deployment at National Landing provides an excellent example of how Federated is bringing private 5G and connectivity innovation to the commercial real estate vertical.

We highlighted a brand new effort with Cisco to integrate our Automated Frequency Controller (AFC) into Cisco’s wireless 6-GHz capable access points. This integration will help enterprises leverage the power of Wi-Fi 6E to accelerate their transformation roadmaps with high-capacity, high-performance shared spectrum network access. This extends the range, performance, and efficiency of wireless networks, making way for advanced technology deployments such as automated robotics, digital twin logistics, smart manufacturing, and more.

Our momentum in private 5G was also on display, highlighted by our inclusion in the “new and expanding partnerships” section of Cisco’s master MWC press release, which cited our alignment with Cisco and Red River to bring the benefits of Cisco Private 5G to U.S. government customers.

We also announced an groundbreaking new partnership with AURA Network Systems to jointly develop a spectrum management system for AURA’s nationwide aviation network in the 450 MHz spectrum band. The partnership illustrates our growth in spectrum management and our expansion into new spectrum bands. Together with AURA, we’ll enable groundbreaking advances by delivering low latency, ultra-reliable, highly secure connectivity and to enable commercial beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS) flight in the controlled airspace.

All told, it was a banner MWC for Federated Wireless, and for private wireless and enterprise markets worldwide. My key takeaway? Our private wireless, AFC, private 5G, and spectrum management solutions are now top of mind to solve the industry’s toughest connectivity challenges.

Welcome to the New World of Private Wireless Networking

This article originally appeared in Network Computing, here.

Any enterprise today can build a 5G private wireless network quickly and easily, thanks to the introduction of cloud-native network architecture.

There’s a new generation of wireless networking technologies that remove many of the barriers that previously made the adoption of private wireless networks unappealing to enterprises.

Thanks to the disaggregation of wireless networking components and the introduction of cloud-native architectures, enterprises can quickly develop and deploy a 5G private wireless network. These networks not only deliver low latency and high throughput, but they also make it possible for enterprises to add new services quickly and respond to growth in data traffic.

Research firm Analysys Mason estimates that there will be more than 20,000 private wireless networks (both LTE and 5G) by 2026 and that enterprises will spend more than $5 billion on these networks in the next four years.

The 5G difference

The wireless industry has been talking about the benefits of 5G networks for the past seven years —everything from lightning-fast download speeds to sub-10 milliseconds in latency. But the real beauty of 5G is that it was designed from the beginning with enterprises in mind. For example, thanks to 5G’s cloud-native architecture, different applications can share resources such as compute and storage, and those resources can be dynamically allocated, so each application only uses what it needs.

Plus, a cloud-native architecture allows the network to aggregate information about every application and provides visibility throughout the network. This type of real-time information adds an extra element of security, which is critical to today’s enterprise networks.

Why private wireless?

Private wireless networks are local on-premises networks designed to cover a specific location or site; for example, a warehouse, shopping mall, factory, or industrial campus might deploy a private network using either licensed or unlicensed spectrum.

Many private enterprise networks in the past relied upon Wi-Fi or the public LTE network for their connectivity. But both technologies have limitations. Wi-Fi networks have weak security protocols and are prone to interference. In addition, coverage can be unreliable in buildings with large footprints or outdoors.

And using the public LTE network for connectivity means that enterprises must share the network resources with others, so if the network becomes overloaded, performance suffers. In addition, the enterprise doesn’t have complete control over the network because it doesn’t own it.

But now, there is a new model for private wireless networks that provides enterprises with both the security and control that they desire. The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) made available the Citizens Broadband Radio Service (CBRS) band spectrum that can be used for private mobile networks. New technology advances make it possible for CBRS spectrum to be dynamically allocated as it is needed making spectrum more accessible and opening up new avenues for enterprises that want to build and manage their own private wireless networks.

These networks have a dedicated core, dedicated radios, and management functions that can run on the enterprise’s infrastructure or can be leased from another company, such as a cloud provider.

In fact, thanks to the disaggregation of wireless networks, cloud companies such as Amazon Web Services (AWS) and Intel are intricately involved in private wireless networks. AWS offers a private 5G solution that acts almost as a starter kit for enterprises that want a fully managed pay-as-you-go private 5G network. And Intel recently acquired the Open Networking Forum’s (ONF) Aether project, which uses open-source components to deliver connectivity-as-a-service over wireless spectrum such as CBRS.

By incorporating open-source technologies, it is now possible for companies to mix-and-match solutions from different vendors to create the perfect integrated solution for their business.

For example, by working with AWS marketplace, a company can pick the video conferencing application it wants to use. And while this may sound simple, it previously wasn’t possible because enterprises had to select the video conferencing solution that was approved by their networking solutions vendor, regardless of whether it was the right fit.

Deploying a 5G private wireless network is much simpler today than it was just a year or two ago. Thanks to the edge-centric nature of applications and the disaggregation of wireless networks, an enterprise can quickly deploy a private wireless network and get all the advantages of 5G in as little as two days, depending upon the use case.

There’s no doubt that private wireless networks hold enormous potential for companies that want to transform their businesses and differentiate from the competition by developing innovative digital experiences that incorporate Internet of Things and other data-intensive applications.

The Future of Private Wireless Runs Through CBRS

This article originally appeared in RCR Wireless, here.

Back in 2012, when the industry first began exploring private cellular networks, the future seemed wide open—in every sense. On one hand, we could imagine seemingly unlimited ways in which enterprises could benefit from private infrastructure running on a shared public spectrum. At the same time, no one could say exactly what such networks would look like or how they would work. After all, there’s more than one way to build private wireless — mobile operators carving out parts of their networks, new Citizens Broadband Radio Service (CBRS) technologies, and other possibilities too.

Ten years later, private wireless is real, and as the first wave of enterprise case studies rolls in, we’re starting to get a picture of just how transformational these innovations can be. On the technology side, though, the biggest questions have been answered: the companies launching new private wireless offerings will lead with CBRS. If you’ve been following the industry, this development shouldn’t be surprising. A vast ecosystem has been growing as device manufacturers, chipmakers, wireless carriers, and others adopt CBRS. But it’s only within the last 12 months that we’ve hit a true tipping point. First, last November, Amazon Web Services (AWS) unveiled a preview of its private 5G offering. Google did the same in June, announcing its suite of distributed edge cloud solutions. Both use shared-spectrum technology. The underlying message for the industry couldn’t be clearer: the world’s most consequential tech companies have made their choice. The centerpiece of private wireless, and the path to the edge for U.S. enterprises, will run through CBRS.

Unleashing enterprise transformation

Wireless infrastructure discussions can quickly get down to the weeds of technology details. But with private wireless, they all boil down to a basic business priority: getting to the edge. Enterprises in every industry are looking to digitally transform their businesses, and they’re making big investments in new cloud, edge computing, and Internet of Things (IoT) applications to do it. As they do, many find their existing wireless infrastructures can’t provide the capabilities they need. For emerging applications in robotic automation, connected factories, next-generation retail experiences, and more, legacy wireless solutions can’t provide the needed availability, low latency, security, or control. Private wireless can deliver all those attributes—and more importantly, do it at scale.

This is particularly attractive to the hyperscale cloud companies seeking to act as transformation enablers for the world’s enterprises. Indeed, for Google, Amazon, and others in this space, edge is the centerpiece of their growth strategies for the coming decade. These companies view private wireless as the glue to hold together the disparate parts of their offerings, combining cloud applications and infrastructure, edge computing, and IoT with local wireless connectivity. The fact that they’ve chosen CBRS as the primary path to get their customers to the edge can’t be overstated.

Why has CBRS become the go-to option for private wireless?

  • It’s truly private: CBRS is the only technology that can enable “true” private wireless; every other solution runs over public cellular networks at some point. This is critical for many enterprises. For a retailer launching new point-of-sale and video analytics applications, for example, or an agri-business automating equipment on connected farms, wireless infrastructure becomes core to business operations. These enterprises need to be able to expand and adapt their networks as needed, in minutes or hours rather than weeks. You can’t do that if you’ve outsourced your wireless connectivity.
  • It’s secure: As enterprises open up more internal machines and systems to connected edge applications, they’re justifiably concerned about security. CBRS-based private wireless networks can be fully contained within a building or venue under the enterprise’s control. At the same time, they bring the stronger security of Subscriber Identity Module (SIM)-based authentication.
  • It’s agile and fast to deploy: When enterprises can modify their own wireless infrastructures without waiting for a mobile operator or middleman to do it for them, they can move much more quickly. To take one recent example, a large winery deployed a CBRS-based edge solution to convert its tractors into a fleet of autonomous production vehicles in just three days. Relying on traditional carrier deployment models would take months.
  • It’s cost-effective: With no recurring costs for licensed spectrum and no need to use public cellular radio equipment, the cost of deploying CBRS infrastructure is very low. These networks are also typically 100% software-driven, allowing enterprises to automate much of their operations.

Getting to the edge

All those factors make CBRS attractive to enterprises. For those building and selling edge solutions, however, CBRS’ biggest advantage is that it’s built for the cloud. Hyperscalers are making huge investments to build out enterprise-edge solutions at massive scales. CBRS brings the same scalability to edge connectivity.

First, as an open, API-driven technology, CBRS is easy to integrate into edge computing solutions. Additionally, CBRS fits seamlessly into the cloud frameworks and Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) offerings that enterprises already consume. For example, leading cloud-based event management systems handling trillions of alerts per month already integrate with CBRS. Shared spectrum technology also integrates smoothly into cloud-based inventory management, logistics, and warehousing systems.

For enterprise customers, CBRS’ “born-in-the-cloud” nature also enables:

  • “Spectrum-as-a-service” consumption: CBRS brings consumption-based, as-a-service pricing to cellular services for the first time. Enterprises can pay for only the spectrum they use, with no strings attached. They’re not locked into buying any particular provider’s radios or devices.
  • Software-driven connectivity: CBRS is fully software-controllable via APIs. Enterprises can embed CBRS spectrum management into any equipment, any deployment, and any partner, literally in an afternoon.
  • Huge open ecosystem: CBRS is the fastest-growing technology ecosystem in the world. Enterprises can already choose from more than 400 CBRS-enabled devices and 70 infrastructure vendors, thanks to the open, collaborative nature of the technology.

For enterprises, though, the biggest draw of CBRS goes back to the cloud. Companies are banking on their hyperscale partners to help them reimagine their businesses. As cloud providers build mass-scale portfolios on CBRS, enterprises can trust in one key advantage: getting to the edge will be as easy as using any other cloud service.

Let The Priority Access License Journey Begin

Today the next phase of CBRS innovation kicks in with the start of Priority Access License (PAL) deployments. This is record time from the completion of the auction in September 2020 to license operation in April 2021.  This milestone demonstrates an added benefit of the spectrum-sharing framework that often gets overlooked. There wasn’t a lengthy and expensive band clearing or license distribution process. 20,625 licenses are activated today thanks to the robust and secure CBRS spectrum management process, administered through modern Spectrum Access Systems like the cloud-based Federated Wireless Spectrum Controller.

As I discussed in this PAL Auction Wrap-Up in August, the breadth and depth of auction participants signaled several key points for market watchers.  It validated the shared spectrum model and its capacity to create a vibrant expanded wireless market, demonstrated market confidence in the sharing technology embodied in the SAS/ESC, confirmed that the county-based approach worked in supporting multiple users across geographies, and laid the groundwork for a robust secondary license market. The chart below summarizes the results, but I also often refer to this article that LightReading journalist Mike Dano wrote where you can dig into the details.

 

 

When we started discussing the tiered framework for managing spectrum several years ago, one of the concerns was that thousands of licenses based on small geographic areas would be hard to administer. Instead, we are finding that the dynamic SAS technology we developed is managing spectrum use quite effectively and that the same technology can now be used to securely lease PAL licenses to other users – a further demonstration of the efficiency offered through spectrum sharing technology.

The use of the General Authorized Access (GAA) band has been explosive since it started just over a year ago.  In fact, the speed of PAL deployment we’re seeing today was accelerated by the extensive CBRS ecosystem development that’s led to over 120,000 CBSDs already deployed using GAA. If the same model was applied to other bands, the spectrum would be put to use much more quickly without having to wait for clearing, manual coordination, or an auction to be completed.

I see this as the start of the next phase of CBRS innovation because I’m hearing a lot of creative plans from the customers I talk to every day.  The $4.5B spent on PAL licenses will enable public and private 5G, expand high-speed broadband to rural America, and bring industrial IoT to life.  The secondary license market will become its own economic growth engine.  With GAA use in full swing, and a mature ecosystem in place, we are now at the beginning of the next phase of the journey, and it is full of promise.

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