The OnGo Alliance, an organization dedicated to driving the adoption of 4G and 5G private networks leveraging the CBRS band, recently brought together industry players for its latest members meeting, held near Dallas at the DFW Marriott. This summit reaffirmed its commitment to driving the adoption of 4G and 5G private networks leveraging the CBRS band and provided a timely overview of developments in the OnGo ecosystem as CBRS deployments gain momentum nationwide. Attendees gained insights into the latest technical advancements, market opportunities, regulatory considerations, and partner initiatives across the OnGo Alliance’s broad member base.
Key Presentations Provide Insight into Practical CBRS Usage
The presentations were given on a wide range of topics, from vendors, enterprises, and regulatory speakers.
Earlier this year, we noted a case study by CTS of a private network it deployed at the Minneapolis-St Paul International Airport. It discussed the various use cases tested with a CBRS-based network versus wired or Wi-Fi networks. Eduardo Valencia, CIO of the airport, discussed how the trial showed that cellular-based applications could work as well as or better than wired versions. Valencia validated his needs being met and noted that “connectivity is not a valuable resource, it’s a vital one,” highlighting the growing importance of robust connectivity solutions for various applications. He also commented that many of his peers have similar needs and that 80% of his colleagues are interested in cellular connectivity for video applications.
One of the most exciting presentations was given by Johnny Park of the Wabash Heartland Innovation Network (WHIN), who described his job as running a ‘several county-sized lab.’ WHIN covers 10 Indiana counties and is 72 by 90 miles long. It includes 70 farmers and 37 manufacturers. WHIN aims to become a major player in agricultural manufacturing, using CBRS and other technologies to provide coverage and capacity to the rural community. Park noted the gaps in private network awareness in his community and that in one of their ten counties, there are only 4,000 homes, which doesn’t lend itself to a strong business case for laying fiber or deploying wireless connectivity. However, this same county produces $500 million in crops yearly, with an estimated 15-18% spoiling due to a lack of connectivity and associated apps. It was an interesting observation of how business cases and ROI calculations differ significantly from industry to industry. It also underscores the diverse applications of CBRS technology and its potential to bridge connectivity gaps in underserved areas.
Another presentation that brought forth in greater detail what Park was discussing about the gaps in awareness came from Cam Camfield, CEO of Stratovation. Cam and his team specialize in agricultural-related research and have recently interviewed around 20 agriculturists around the country on their views of mobile connectivity. Stratovation discovered that there is room for education in the field, illustrating his point with two stories:
- Stratovation asked farmer, without any preamble or discussion, if they would be interested in having a private mobile network on their site. None were interested. Then, after being told what a private network could do for their operation, 80% were interested in deploying one.
- Similarly, without any description, farmers were asked if they would like HD cameras and video analytics on their farms, and again, none were interested. However, after hearing about the use cases being run on other farms and what it could do for them, 100% of the survey-takers were interested.
Camfield’s findings show that awareness and information can be pivotal in promoting the adoption of CBRS in industries like agriculture. With the vast majority (98%) of farms in the U.S. owned by families with ten or fewer shareholders, as opposed to large corporations, there is much room for awareness of the benefits private networks can bring to the agricultural community.
A few months ago, we sat down with Garfield Swaby, VP of IT of the New York Public Library (NYPL), and two of his colleagues and discussed the library’s CBRS implementation. They described how the NYPL wanted to provide broadband coverage to their communities, already having fiber to each building. They chose CBRS and aimed the network at the surrounding communities while providing Chromebooks for patron checkout. Swaby reiterated in his presentation how the deployment has been a major success for their communities and is now used by five library branches over three New York boroughs. Swaby updated the story by relating that the NYPL will expand the project to include more libraries and laptops per site and emphasized the role of CBRS in addressing connectivity disparities and expanding digital access. Swaby also mentioned that the library system had built their own app – a dashboard – to track the use of the devices using its CBRS network and is open to collaborating with the broader Private Network ecosystem to bring out such solutions to market.
Emerging Tech on Display
The meeting featured an exhibit area with booths from leading companies in the CBRS ecosystem. Exhibitors such as Telrad, MultiTech, Bluearcus, BTI Wireless, and Telit showcased their latest technologies and innovations through live demonstrations and discussions with product experts. Attendees experienced hands-on exhibits of the newest CBRS-enabled devices in various form factors, 5G infrastructure solutions, network services, and test equipment. The interactive booths provided valuable opportunities to connect with providers across the OnGo value chain and see their solutions in action.
5G SA Interoperability Testing a Success
A highlight of the three-day event was the OnGo Plugfest, which brought the ecosystem together to validate the capabilities of CBRS-based 5G Stand Alone (SA) network and devices utilizing the Shared Home Network Identifier (HNI) within a private network environment. With over two dozen devices (ranging from CBRS dongles, chrome books, video cameras, gateways, and more) from an array of vendors deployed in the interoperability testing, a 40 MHz channel in the GAA spectrum achieved downlink speeds consistently over 400 Mbps. Uplink performance also impressed, with speeds surpassing 50 Mbps. The Plugfest ensured that CBRS 5G SA solutions adhere to 3GPP standards and that multi-vendor networks and devices can seamlessly interact. This is crucial for instilling confidence amongst enterprises and vendors in the technology’s scalability and device compatibility.
OnGo Alliance and How CBRS is Evolving
Members of the Alliance gave multiple presentations on recent and future events and happenings, highlighting the Alliance’s commitment to adapting and refining CBRS technology to meet industry needs.
- The ‘heartbeat’ interval being extended from five minutes to 24 hours was discussed, as was the use in Hawaii of a website the Navy will update with CBRS usage until the ESC network is operational in 2024.
- The most intriguing discussion point was the possibility of the FCC allowing CBRS antennas less than six meters above ground level to continue operating, even when the U.S. Navy is using its radar in the area. The belief is that PAL and GAA usage below this height won’t interfere with government use.
- “GAA Collaborative Coexistence” was another interesting topic. This idea is to reduce interference among users on the GAA tier. It will be strictly voluntary, only working when all entities, operators, and managing SASes are willing to cooperate.
Another note of interest was that a PAL portal is now operational on the OnGo Alliance website, allowing users to see which licenses are in use in each part of the country.
Conclusion
From innovative enterprise use cases to new product showcases, the OnGo Alliance Member’s Meeting highlighted the strides the OnGo ecosystem has taken toward broader adoption. Collaborative initiatives like the Plugfest are cementing interoperability and ensuring customer success. With advanced technical capabilities, a range of enabling solutions, and expanding real-world deployments, OnGo technology is empowering new wireless connectivity models across industries. CBRS is poised to become an integral part of the enterprise connectivity fabric powering digitization as the Alliance and its partners continue educating the market and evolving the platform. This member gathering marked a milestone on that journey and set the stage for expanded CBRS adoption going forward.
