Vertical: Education
Application: Improved coverage and capacity
Ecosystem: Federated Wireless, Airspan
Private Network: LTE
Federated Wireless, a leader in shared spectrum services, has partnered with the City of Tukwila, Washington, to implement an innovative Private LTE network leveraging CBRS (Citizens Broadband Radio Service) spectrum. This network will help connect students in the Tukwila School District to enable better digital learning, especially for those lacking reliable connectivity at home.
“Having access to internet-based learning tools from home is a crucial component of this mission. This network empowers us to bridge the digital divide that has unfortunately disadvantaged some of our students for far too long,” said Concie Pedroza, Tukwila School District Superintendent.
A $1.4 million grant from the Washington State Department of Commerce, administered by the Washington State Broadband Office, has funded the creation of a private LTE network. This initiative aims to offer complimentary internet access, benefiting the educational advancement of as many as 1,200 students within the Tukwila School District.
“Ultimately, this is about equity,” said Tukwila Mayor Allan Ekberg. “Enabling fair outcomes for every student and equitable access to an academic experience was the driving force behind our approach. Federated Wireless provided the network architecture and spectrum sharing capabilities we needed to get connectivity to students with the necessary broadband throughput required to do their schoolwork.”
This private LTE approach can offer coverage and capacity on par with commercial cellular networks at a lower cost without subscription fees. For students, it means reliable high-speed internet for digital learning applications, whether remote or on campus. The City of Tukwila also benefits through improved cellular capabilities for city services and future smart city infrastructure.
“Federated Wireless is proud to collaborate with innovative cities like the City of Tukwila to close the digital divide through next-generation connectivity solutions. This use case is a true illustration of the potential of 5G and CBRS to solve for community broadband, last-mile networking needs.” said Federated Wireless CEO Iyad Tarazi.
The new private LTE network covers five schools in the district, providing much-needed wireless broadband access to enhance remote education. Small cellular sites were installed in schools, public housing, and municipal facilities throughout the neighborhoods of Allentown, Tukwila Hill, Tukwila International Boulevard, and Cascade View. The project was spurred in part by remote learning challenges faced during the COVID-19 pandemic. Teachers discovered some students had unreliable internet connections or none at all, severely limiting their participation. This CBRS-based private network aims to bridge that connectivity gap.
City of Tukwila CTO Joel Bush said, “This is an instance of numerous teams, including King County IT, Impact Charter Schools, Bellwether Housing, Tukwila School District, Muckleshoot Indian Tribe, the Puyallup Tribe of Indians, WSBO, and Federated Wireless, all working together under a short timeline.”
K-12 education is one of the largest users of private cellular networks. Others include:
