Wireless solutions and service provider Connectivity Wireless announced this week that it, in partnership with Sky Connect Networks, deployed OnGo™ LTE Connectivity based on the recently available 3.5GHz Citizens Broadband Radio Service (CBRS) in New York’s Times Square. OnGo™ is the trademarked brand of the CBRS Alliance referencing technologies and deployments based on spectrum sharing.
This marks one of the first publically announced CBRS deployments since the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) approved CBRS initial commercial deployment (ICD) last month. The deployment also showed the benefits of having openly assessable, clean spectrum for LTE and future 5G use.
Connectivity Wireless and Sky Connect Networks also partnered with Athonet, Federated Wireless and Ruckus Wireless to make the deployment happen. The OnGo™ trial began on September 30, 2019 and will last until October 15.
“This trial underscores our mission to promote economic development in Times Square by leveraging cutting-edge technology,” Times Square Alliance President Time Tompkins said in a statement. “We believe CBRS holds the potential to help deliver greater levels of security and improve the experience of visitors and businesses through digital innovation.”
“We are excited to pioneer OnGo™ services on the CBRS spectrum deployment in Times Square,” Connectivity Wireless SVP of Technology Planning and Development Nader Famili said in a statement. “This trial will demonstrate Connectivity Wireless’ ability and commitment to deploy private LTE and (Internet of Things) IoT networks on the 3.5GHz band using multiple uses cases.”
Times Square is one of the most heavily visited locations in the world and tourists place intense demands on the public LTE networks and available Wi-Fi spectrum. These demands have made it tough for carriers and private enterprises like retailers and hospitality providers to provide reliable connectivity for the digital technologies that are designed to keep visitors and residents safe. This includes the new Artificial Intelligence (AI) led technologies that need pervasive digital connectivity.
With the new OnGo™ connectivity on CBRS bands, Connectivity Wireless and its partners can demonstrate how easy, agile and cost-effective it will be to deploy high-performance LTE networks on clean spectrum for operational and critical communications.
Some of the key applications displayed on the Connectivity Wireless Times Square network will include video cameras with mobile and static video capture with AI-driven insights and machine learning for security, operations and enhanced visitor experience, as well as public safety with reliable push-to-talk applications for security and operational management. Voice, digital signage and Wi-Fi will also be a part of the Connectivity Wireless Times Square network.
“We are delighted to partner with a pioneering player like Connectivity Wireless to demonstrate the benefits of CBRS and OnGo™ on clean spectrum in Times Square for digital innovation and security,” Athonet Director of Corporate Development Nanda Menon said in release. “We are pleased to enable Connectivity Wireless with our connectivity platform that will allow them to deploy, scale and manage multiple sites and use-cases in an agile and IT-friendly way.”
“We are extremely pleased to see Connectivity Wireless’ rapid adoption and deployment of CBRS following so closely on the heels of the FCC’s green light for initial commercial deployments (ICD),” Federated Wireless CEO Iyad Tarazi said in a statement. “CBRS provides a perfect solution for the challenges imposed by increasing device densities and the need for higher throughput in places like Time Square. We look forward to working closely with the partners they have assembled to ensure the success of the project and to amplifying the results of the trial.”
