I was with a guy from the telecom industry who was a caricature of a ‘masters of the universe’ type person. Basically, I loathed him until he said the following: “Why did the private network refuse to gossip at the office party? Because it believed in keeping things secure and confidential!” We then hung out and bonded over, of course, masters of the universe cocktails.
Dumb joke, but it did make me chuckle. I decided to dumb down a highly sophisticated telecommunication subject – CBRS. If you are looking for a highly technical article, stop reading. I focus on the practical and the business opportunity.
CBRS
This stands for Citizens Band Radio Spectrum, which is a mouthful, so let’s stay with CBRS. CBRS was created to promote innovation, spectrum efficiency, and economic growth (the government’s words, not mine) by enabling shared use of the 3.5 GHz frequency band (3550–3700 MHz) in the United States. In a nutshell, it was created because the military and satellite ground stations were underutilizing this spectrum, so CBRS was introduced to allow multiple users to coexist without interfering with incumbent users (which is a fancy term, for those that have been around a long time).
I hate PowerPoints, but I like this one so much that I am inserting it below. It explains the benefit of a 5G (or even LTE) private network and the potential of applications like digital twin and artificial intelligence. The person that created this is a genius for dumbing things down (FN1). Wait, that’s me!
The CBRS spectrum and 5G technology has the potential to be the foundation for government and business connectivity.
-Private – A private network is private. Corporate information, personal information, medical records, nuclear secrets (only half kidding) are transmitted securely, and only those people on the private network can access the information.
-Wider Coverage – I am sure you all have experienced when you are using the hotel’s WIFI and walk outside and the call disconnects… CBRS covers a far wider area. Outdoors, under optimal conditions (like no giant buildings in the way), CBRS can communicate over 6 miles. WIFI, on the other hand, can only go up to 500 feet. Why does this matter? If you are in a remote area, distance matters. If you are in a coffee shop and don’t care who can hack you, WIFI is fine.
-Scalability – CBRS private network solutions can be designed and installed in multiple configurations allowing organizations to expand without compromise.
-Mobility – CBRS can be used to improve mobile connectivity. When there is a zombie apocalypse, consider a CBRS network in a box technology. I already wrote about this so read my prior article (FN2).
USE CASES
As we move towards smarter cities, continuously seek efficiencies, and the number of sensors and devices increase, CBRS is the reliable workhorse that provides an interference-free solution that allows operations to have higher efficiency, reduced costs and higher reliability. Below are just some of the opportunities:
-Energy & Utilities: remote monitoring, smart grids, and predictive analytics
-Logistics: warehouse management solutions and point to point product tracking
-Medical: telemedicine, asset tracking (like those pills that keep going missing)
-Manufacturing: high spend, low latency, and robotic automations
-Military: munition tracking, remote communication and even ship to ship communication
I have a client, EUCAST Global (FN3) that is making waves in the U.S. not only because they were awarded a Sourcewell contract (FN4) but because they are working with Power&Tel, nureal.ai, and several others to distribute their communication equipment that operate in the CBRS, LTE, and 5G spectrum. Let me assume the telcos will object, but CBRS is often less expensive, easier to install, and doesn’t have those annoying throttling instances where communication speeds slow down during peak usage periods.
In summary, think beyond WIFI and remember when you were at the hotel and got disconnected. Happy Holidays!
About the author
Gary Sumihiro is the founder of Sumihiro Investments, LLC a global strategic consulting firm. Learn more at www.sumihiroinvestmentsllc.com.
FOOTNOTES:
FN2: HOW TO COMMUNICATE WHEN THERE ARE ZOMBIES Article
FN3: www.eucastglobal.com
FN4: A buying cooperative for 50,000 government and education entities.