In 2015, the FCC voted to open the 3.5 GHz spectrum band, known as the Citizens Broadband Radio Service (CBRS), for both licensed and unlicensed use. Ever since, CBRS has facilitated innovation and been a powerful tool in delivering clever connectivity solutions. By opening the band to shared use, regulators have been able to virtually “expand the pie” of available spectrum as the wireless ecosystem faces a spectrum crunch.
CBRS is a designated spectrum band open for shared use, allowing it to power private networks in places like warehouses, stadiums, campuses, and airports. It does this while protecting important users already operating in the band, which always gets signal priority should the incumbent user, often the Department of Defense (DoD), be using the band nearby.
The Marines turn to CBRS
An example of how CBRS is being used to solve tricky connectivity issues comes from the U.S. Marine Corps (USMC), which has used the band to deploy a private network to help manage its vast logistics facility in Albany, Georgia. Specifically, the USMC needed the ability to not only track inventory but also connect mechanics at their vehicle repair depot working on getting MRAPs (combat vehicles) back into the field quickly.
As a result, this use case is unique in that the DoD is both the incumbent user being protected, as well as the General Authorized Access (GAA) user, demonstrating a full circle benefit to the DoD when it comes to spectrum sharing.
Mission hurdles
The USMC faced a number of challenges connecting its warehouse.
- At over 1 million square feet, the facility is so large that traditional Wi-Fi networks would be costly and require extensive connection points.
- Constructed in the 1950s, the USMC facility isn’t a typical boxy sheet metal-sided warehouse. Instead, it’s built like a bunker with thick concrete walls, a problem when considering the need for greater than 95% coverage inside the location.
- In addition to coverage, the USMC required strict security and compliance, further complicating an already difficult situation.
Why CBRS was the solution
USMC looked to non-traditional network solutions like CBRS to solve this unique set of challenges. The band has allowed the Marines to deploy a powerful and highly secure private wireless network with enough capacity and coverage to connect a vast inventory across a massive footprint.
- CBRS networks are easy to deploy, which is extra valuable in a complex, fine-tuned environment like a Marine Corps warehouse facility.
- By being a GAA user, the USMC has the ability to turn to off-the-shelf 5G technology and tap into the massive equipment and device ecosystem created for the commercial sector.
- They could add unique security features that meet their needs rather than having to buy a specialized, purpose-built technology at a much higher cost.
The Marines have been so happy with the outcome that they are now working to identify other USMC facilities where they can repeat the success and want to use the solution across the rest of the DoD.
All of these benefits are delivered thanks to CBRS’s shared use model, which continues to prove its value and utility time and time again. As the United States faces a spectrum crunch, shared solutions like CBRS offer a way to virtually expand the amount of spectrum available to an otherwise fixed, limited resource.
Visit NCTA.com to learn more about thoughtful spectrum policy’s important role in broadband, especially Wi-Fi.
