Author Archives: Iyad Tarazi

It’s a wrap.  One of the largest and most ambitious spectrum auctions in U.S. history has come to a close this week. After 76 rounds, with participation from 271 bidders, the proceeds from the PAL Auction amount to over $4.5 Billion.

As we await the FCC Public Notice officially announcing the end of the auction and the winners, I wanted to provide my initial thoughts on the key indicators that the results represent.

• The wide participation across market segments that don’t normally participate in spectrum auctions, including Cable, WISP, Energy and Enterprise, is an absolute validation of the shared spectrum model and its capacity to create a vibrant expanded wireless market.
• Garnering nearly $4.6B in proceeds for 70 MHz of spectrum, which is slightly above ~$0.20/MHz-pop, demonstrates market confidence that the sharing technology embodied in the SAS/ESC will allow for full use of the spectrum. It’s important to note that this outcome is in line with global pricing for this band.
• The bidding across geographies, resulting in 91% of 22,631 available licenses sold, confirms that the county-based approach worked in supporting multiple users in different geographies. It wasn’t too complicated. Money was not left on the table. Importantly, any licenses that weren’t purchased can still foster economic growth through sharing under General Authorized Access.
• This lays the groundwork for a robust secondary license market. PAL holders who don’t immediately need all the capacity they purchased can use the same dynamic SAS technology that manages the spectrum to securely lease their licenses to other users – a further demonstration of the efficiency offered through spectrum sharing technology.

So what’s next? The FCC will release a public notice in a few days providing detailed auction results, including the names of the PAL Auction winners along with the procedures needed for the prompt issuance of licenses. We’ll be watching this FCC Auction 105 site closely, and I’m sure you will.

In the meantime, I’m thrilled with the outcome. This is the single largest economic validation of the shared spectrum market opportunity to date. With GAA deployments growing exponentially each week, we look forward to adding PAL management, including license leasing, to our service.

FCC Certification, launch of Commercial Service, the first 10,000 sites deployed – these are some of the shared spectrum milestones that keep my team going. We’re coming up on another one of those defining moments – the CBRS PAL auction – representing one of the largest and most ambitious spectrum auctions in US history. And last week we got a taste for the widespread interest in the auction when the FCC announced the companies who plan to bid when the auction starts in July.

348 companies filed applications to bid on the 22,631 licenses available in the auction. As you would expect, all of the top mobile and cable operators applied, including Verizon, T-Mobile, AT&T, Charter and Comcast, along with Dish who is planning their own standalone 5G network buildout. The regional MNO and MSO players were there too, including Cable One, CenturyLink, Cincinnati Bell, Frontier, Mediacom, US Cellular, and Windstream, taking advantage of the ability to license in smaller footprints. A huge 70% of the applicants represent Wireless Internet Service Providers who can bid on their own county licenses – some for the first time ever.

There were two other categories of applicants that might be less expected, but for me represent the fruition of the original promise of CBRS to open up innovation by making high quality spectrum available for new business models and use cases.

First, there are several energy and utility companies on the list, among them Alabama Power, Avista, Chevron, Exelon, Occidental Petroleum, San Diego Gas & Electric and SoCal Edison. Granted that some of these are currently operating in the band under Part 90 rules and need to migrate to Part 96, but from my conversations with many of these companies I know that they are exploring using the spectrum for new, mission critical applications like wildfire risk mitigation, modern oilfield maintenance and smart grid upgrades.

Second is a category I’ll generally call Enterprise, but includes companies representing industrial and manufacturing sectors like John Deere and Corning, along with healthcare and education sectors like Duke University and Health, Texas A&M and the Dallas School District. In fact, many school districts and universities across the country have started to reach out to us as they plan a new mix of live and remote learning to grapple with COVID-19, and many hospitals and clinics are implementing plans for emergency communication needs for the same reason.

Now that commercial services have been operating for several months and we are seeing the true benefits of easy access to shared spectrum, it is gratifying to see that the experiment has become a reality.  Confidence in CBRS shared spectrum – in the ecosystem, in the technology, in the providers – has grown to such an extent that PALs hold true value for the wireless industry, for the country and for the economy.

This is what we set out to do – create a true innovative and open sharing system. I take personal satisfaction in achieving that goal. Let’s keep expanding the system together.

I hope this message finds you and your families and peers doing well as we adjust to the new normal. Of course, the business that we’re all in provides critical communication infrastructure to help keep our communities safe, connected and engaged during a global crisis like this. Our work must continue, and we are fortunate that today’s mobile technology provides many great mechanisms for us to stay productive and stay connected.

I’m writing this from my new work environment – one that I’m still getting used to – my home. I’m sure many of you are trying to adjust to working from home as well. When the first call went out to stay at home in order to slow the spread of the virus, my team got together to see what we could do to better stay in touch with our customers, our partners, and each other. We escalated our schedule for a project we’ve been planning for a while – and we’re pleased to launch it today: my federated.

my federated is a customer and partner support portal that also include a knowledge base full of information about deploying CBRS networks. More importantly, my federated is an online community that will allow us to increase our interactions during this period when we can’t meet face-to-face. Each of you are on the cutting edge of the shared spectrum innovation that is poised to change the wireless industry. You developed the first CBRS products. You are deploying the first CBRS networks. Together we’re learning shortcuts and tips every day, even as we come up with new questions. We built this new community so that we could all have a place to come together to share deployment experiences, solve problems, and find answers quickly.

I’ll be joining the conversation in the community as well. Please feel free to reach out if there is anything I can do to help support your business during this time.

I’ll leave you with a quote from historian Arnold Toynbee that gives me an ongoing sense of hope:

“Man achieves civilization as a response to a challenge in a situation of special difficulty which rouses him to make a hitherto unprecedented effort.”

 We are up to the challenge.

Today is an exciting day for Federated Wireless as we launch another industry first – Private Wireless-as-a-Service – a new type of end-to-end managed service that enables enterprises to buy and deploy private 4G and 5G networks with a single click through the Amazon Web Services and Microsoft Azure Marketplaces.

Private Wireless-as-a-Service represents a simple way for businesses to buy and deploy private wireless the same way that they buy, deploy and manage their IT infrastructure today – using cloud marketplaces.

The best part about this new CBRS-enabled service is that enterprises can benefit from accelerated private wireless network deployment with high-speed 4G/5G connectivity and strong security at minimum risk and capital expenditure.  We take care of the installation, operation and management, delivering high performance, reliable five 9’s connectivity. No more complexity, no large number of components and vendors, no complicated integration processes with other networks and no big outlay for hardware and other equipment.

So what can an enterprise do with Private Wireless-as-a-Service?  

Through the Amazon Web Service (AWS) Marketplace, managed connectivity can be purchased with a single click, or seamlessly integrated with the full range of IoT industrial automation, critical communications and security applications that AWS offers.

And, through the Microsoft Azure Marketplace, our connectivity service can be combined with a wide range of logistics, communications and security applications for manufacturing environments, again through a single click.

Today’s Enterprise customers are well-familiar with cloud marketplaces and can now directly leverage our extensive partner program and application ecosystem for end-to-end managed service integration.

Benefits of Private Wireless-as-a-Service

Our new private wireless Private Wireless-as-a-Service provides numerous unique benefits to the enterprise, including:

• Simplicity – Enterprises can order with one click the business connectivity services they need, with Federated Wireless delivering and managing the network and facilitating endpoint management
• Flexibility – Best-in-class ecosystem of solutions and partners to enable choice
• Reliability – Proven five 9s service level agreement for unsurpassed network reliability and performance
• Cloud Scale – Consistent, automated applications and streamlined processes for improved efficiency with infinite scalability
• Control – Comprehensive visibility into network performance and usage allows IT management to set granular network policies while maintaining secure control of networks and data
• Low Cost – High performance and reliability of 4G/5G technology delivered at enterprise Wi-Fi costs with a flat monthly fee

But is doesn’t stop there.  The private wireless need and opportunity is enormous, and I expect to see many models develop to fill the demand.  We will work with our MNO, MSO, Fixed Wireless and OEM customers and partners to take advantage of the lessons we learn on this journey to develop seamless private wireless services of their own. Our goal has always been to enable all our partners to take advantage of the CBRS opportunity.

I would like to wrap up by saying how proud I am of our team, and all that we have accomplished since we started this journey. Today, we have more than 31 customers currently offering commercial services and another 50 in development. We are the clear leader in deployment of CBRS shared spectrum.

Let me know what you think of our new service — we will continue to learn, innovate and reiterate. We are excited to continually move the industry forward and share our innovative thinking and solutions that are accelerating the capabilities of today’s digital enterprise.

As I write these predictions late in December, there are obvious ones that the industry is watching closely: T-Mobile-Sprint’s merger trial, Dish’s entry into wireless, the continued roll out of 5G networks and devices, and Cable’s growing share of net wireless subscribers, among others. Here what I focus on are trends that I think will have a profound impact on how wireless network will be built and architected – I’m watching for things that will significantly change cost structure, competitive landscape or customer experience.

1. 5G AND CLOUD INTEGRATION: The seeds for collaboration between carriers and cloud started with AT&T’s announced collaboration with Microsoft, and VZ’s announcement at the AWS re:Invent show. In 2020, 5G and Cloud will make a lot of progress integrating their platforms. Telcos will start integrating cloud into the 5G networks in earnest and the cloud will continue to enable wireless integration with their applications. Concepts like containers, micro services, bare-metal, local data centers, enterprise edge-compute, and dev-ops become normalized into the telco vocabulary. What to watch for: The decisions that Dish Networks will make in their network build-out strategy and any announcements from T-Mobile to collaborate with a cloud partner.

2. PRIVATE NETWORKS: We have seen a lot of build-up to the theme of private networks throughout 2019 with bold predictions from Nokia, the launch of Sprint’s Curiosity IoT network, and many other examples. In 2020 Private Networks will dominate the conversation about wireless enablement within the enterprise segments. Digitization, automation, and enablement of AI will lead to more enterprise demand for private 4G/5G networks that will mostly remain unfulfilled as the wireless industry retools for this trend. What to watch for: Major Private Network trials from large enterprise customers in logistics, manufacturing, and retail customers.

3. MIDBAND SPECTRUM: Spectrum-clearing and re-allocation was very active in 2019 compared to previous years. In addition to the MM Wave auctions, CBRS commercial deployment was approved in September and progress was made on C-Band clearing, culminating in a planned auction. In 2020 midband spectrum will solidify its position as the most attractive flavor of airwaves. In addition to C-Band and CBRS, we will see significant movement towards enabling other very large blocks of partially used midband spectrum: 6 GHz and 3.1-3.55 GHz. Additional bands will start joining the conversation such as 12 GHz and 7 GHz. What to watch for: Commercial trials and regulatory progress on spectrum sharing for 6 GHz.

4. SINGLE APPLICATION NETWORKS: Another trend that is gaining momentum is the deployment of wireless solutions attached to one or two applications, instead of complex multiservice network solutions. Late last year we demonstrated a quick set up with an Amazon DeepLens camera over a CBRS network, and have seen many such commercial deployments since then. In 2020 end devices and IoT applications will take additional prominence in driving 4G/5G deployments as we start seeing more single application network deployments. Top application driven deployments will continue to be digital cameras and security, digital signage, last mile/wiring replacement, and Wi-Fi backhaul. Watch to watch for: Announcement in devices, tablets and applications to enable better image recognition, integrated security systems, more advanced push-to-talk solutions, and embedded robotics.

5. WIRELESS DISAGGREGATION: There has been a lot of discussion and anticipation of further disaggregation of wireless networks and definitely some progress. Vodaphone’s Open RAN announcement at the Telecom Infra Project Summit meeting in Amsterdam is a definite milestone. Rakuten’s all virtual network plan is another. In 2020, beyond virtualization and Open RAN progress, we will see only modest progress in application disaggregation as OEMs continue to push for integrated vertical solutions. Edge Compute implementations will gain momentum, but within the boundary of existing networks – instead of pushing for disaggregated networks. What to watch for: Increasing popularity of orchestrators that allow for application disaggregation foreshadowing future network architectures.

It’s not often that you can actually feel the ground shift under your feet. It happened to me at Mobile World Congress last week, and, though we were in LA, this was not an earthquake. It was the tangible, visible shift in the conversation from what’s next (5G) to what’s here and now: CBRS/OnGo.

One of the highlights of the week was the OnGo Workshop, where FCC Chairman Ajit Pai keynoted. He made two key points that really resonated with me. First, he underscored the value that CBRS brings to the economy, unleashing between $8 billion and $26 billion annually in consumer benefits. Secondly, he reiterated something that has become crystal clear just over the past few months: CBRS is a key part of 5G development in the US, and is now a cornerstone of the Commission’s “5G FAST” plan. CBRS is here today and will set the stage for 5G with common architecture, services and ecosystem. My favorite quote from the Chairman’s keynote: “The new iPhone 11 may not support 5G, but it does have a 3.5 GHz chip. The future of 3.5 GHz services is now.”

This is the first time I’ve been to a trade show where CBRS was on display in a great majority of the booths. In fact, we started the week at a very public demonstration of one of the newest commercial sites at Angel Stadium in Anaheim. In an effort led by Connectivity Wireless and supported by JMA Wireless and Federated Wireless, we watched a live demonstration of push-to-talk technology across the stadium, using just one access point. Of course, the final architecture will have a few more radios installed for full coverage and capacity, but the potential for using shared spectrum is abundantly clear.

JMA Wireless took CBRS demos to a whole new level, featuring a live CBRS network in their booth.  The network showcased some of the many applications that are already being driven by CBRS, including the digital signage in place at American Dream Entertainment Complex, smart city/smart venue kiosks with video utilizing mobile edge compute, a vehicle mounted router that roams from licensed to shared spectrum for dash cam and body cam video upload, high quality voice headsets for sports and entertainment venues, push-to-talk handsets . . . everywhere you turned in the booth there were new ideas on display. And many of the ecosystem partners were represented as well.

Along with Federated Wireless, all four major smart phone manufacturers were in use, Motorola had PTT handsets, Vapor IO was running their Vapor Chamber, and there were partner devices from Cradlepoint, MultiTech and Encore Networks.

Speaking of Cradlepoint, that roaming vehicle enabled with CBRS could be found in their booth as well, along with several other Industrial IoT applications they are supporting with CBRS.

The Ericsson booth featured a demo of another early deployment favorite – Landmark Dividend showcasing the CBRS-enabled digital kiosks they are lighting up throughout the Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART) system. Featuring video cameras and digital signage, the kiosk are enabled with Wi-Fi plus CBRS for public use, private use by DART, and offload so all networks can run to full capacity.

Samsung treated us to a sneak peek into their future plans, which I can’t talk about here, but their public booth also highlighted some of the CBRS network devices that they are already deploying, along with the Samsung Galaxy S10 that was among the first CBRS handsets on the market.

After  I finished meetings with several customers and partners and had a chance to walk the exhibit floor, I started to really notice a trend in the early applications we’re seeing – video/video surveillance, digital signage, push-to-talk, Wi-Fi backhaul, carrier offload, and fixed wireless for both neighborhoods and business.

CBRS is big and here and coming faster than anyone expected. It was an exciting event. Looking forward to the next phase – deployment and scaling!