AMIT Wireless (the industry pioneer in Industrial IoT or IIoT gateway solutions) and Actility (a world leader in IoT connectivity solutions) announced a strategic partnership to facilitate deployment of CBRS (Citizens Broadband Radio Service) IoT use cases for backhauling LoRaWAN gateway traffic.
CBRS launched in the USA in 2020 by the FCC (Federal communications Commission) and it is a dynamic sharing system in the 3550-3700 MHz band. This band (also known as the innovation band) will allow for the expansion of coverage and capacity of operators’ LTE services, but also the implementation of new mobile uses (5G and IoT). The band is also currently used by the US Navy, the Department of Defense and satellite communication service providers.
The partners have agreed on technical and business cooperation and mutual promotion of the AMIT Wireless CBRS products as a backhaul for LoRaWAN gateways using Actility’s ThingPark IoT platform. And with the recent launch of CBRS in the US, this collaboration opens a range of use cases to allow the deployment of private Cellular network in CBRS bands.
One of the biggest challenges for IIoT LoRaWAN deployments in rural or remote areas is backhaul connectivity. And CBRS private Cellular offers the perfect match for this need.
The initial use case will be to use AMIT Wireless CBRS LTE devices to carry the backhaul traffic of LoRaWAN gateways. Private cellular networks are privately owned, customizable cellular networks comprised of various components like radio hardware and network orchestration software. These networks could significantly enhance connectivity and address the limitations of traditional Wi-Fi networks in industrial IoT deployments in remote areas. Public cellular networks, in contrast, provide limited control over service quality and risk data security.
Until recently, building a private mobile network was not possible due to technological constraints and lack of available RF spectrum. But with the advent of new technologies and the FCC’s decision to allocate more spectrum for business use, enterprises can now construct and operate their own private LTE or 5G networks, tailored to their unique needs.
The Actility’s ThingPark Market platform presents a trial kit to demonstrate the capabilities of private LTE CBRS networks. And with a unique feature, this kit enables roaming over CBRS and public networks using a single ThingPark global SIM card, thanks to global agreements with public network operators.
