Vertical: Universal coverage
Application: Education, e-health, remote work
Ecosystem: Standing Rock Telecommunications, NewCore Wireless, Nokia
Private Network: 5G
Private 5G networks are coming to a vast swathe of native American tribes following the release of the mid-band Education Broadband Service Spectrum, which mainly had remained unutilized by the FCC. As of December 2018, fewer than 72 percent of tribal lands had broadband coverage.
The network will extend over 12,000 square miles and more than 30,000 people belonging to four hundred federally recognized tribes. Standing Rock Telecommunications is building the network with Nokia and NewCore Wireless, which provides consulting and advisory services. The intended use cases for the 5G private network are e-learning, telehealth, and remote work. The network will build on existing infrastructure that tribal leaders had constructed to afford the completion of the 5G network by the end of the year.
The project achieves universal coverage with low-cost deployments to bridge digital divides aided by the mid-band spectrum.