What is CBRS?
Back in 2015, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), along with a group of technology leaders, came together to allocate a new type of radio spectrum. This new spectrum was meant to complement something we have all come to love – Wi-Fi! And so a new standard, Citizens Broadband Radio Service (CBRS), was born.
CBRS operates on a 150 MHz slice of the 3.5 GHz radio spectrum, which was formerly allocated to U.S. government satellite and radar systems. Because this spectrum isn’t shared like Wi-Fi, the FCC allows businesses to use more powerful transmitters. That means fewer access points are needed to cover the same amount of real estate. So for example, take a large space such as a factory floor, a shopping mall, or a hotel lobby. Now, only a single CBRS access point is needed to cover the same area that five or six Wi-Fi access points previously would have covered. That’s pretty major!
How is CBRS Different than Wi-Fi?
The advantages of CBRS over Wi-Fi don’t just stop at more powerful transmitters.
CBRS is inherently more secure than Wi-Fi. It utilizes SIM cards instead of SSIDs. So network administrators have complete control over who is—and is not—on the network. No SIM, no access. Quality-of-service (QoS) features ensure that CBRS networks gives priority to the applications that matter most to the business, whether that is voice, video, or data. Since this network is based on LTE, CBRS devices are optimized to deliver seamless handoffs between access points and outdoor building coverage which has traditionally been a challenge for Wi-Fi devices.
When the economics and performance are considered together, it’s not surprising that some industry experts have predicted that services like CBRS could make Wi-Fi outmoded.
MOTOTRBO Nitro
So with that being said, it’s time to put CBRS to the test! And look no further than Motorola Solutions. As a company with nearly nine decades of radio experience a pioneer in mobile communications solutions and a leader in Private LTE deployments, Motorola Solutions is also a member of the CBRS Alliance.
Motorola Solutions has designed a range of CBRS offerings that integrate with other enterprise communication solutions to deliver a completely unified data and voice platform called MOTOTRBO Nitro. So is it a data network? Is it a business-critical voice network? Nitro is both and ready to help your business overcome your Wi-Fi shortcomings.
Check out the full whitepaper from TechTarget for more insights.
