WISPAmerica Show Daily Day 1

www. WISPA .org 1 9 www.bekabusinessmedia.com DAY 1 MER C 2018 ExteNet Partners with Peak Internet on its CBRS LTE Fixed Wireless E xteNet Systems, a leading independent provider of communications infrastructure enabling advanced cellular, wireless and broad- band connectivity across urban and rural America, announced at WISPAMERICA that it has deployed a CBRS Part 96 ready fixed wireless LTE-based network with Peak Internet, a broadband access provider based in Woodland Park, Colo. Peak Internet provides high- speed broadband internet services to residential, small business, enterprise and government customers in Colorado Springs and Pike’s Peak, Colo. ExteNet is utilizing its distributed Evolved Packet Core (EPC) solution to enable fixed wireless broad- band service for Peak Internet over the licensed 3.65 GHz band with a future, software-only upgrade path to the 3.5 GHz Citizens Broadband Radio Service (CBRS) band. This allows Peak Internet to provide true broadband LTE connectivity to its customers today and comply with pending FCC mandates, said the company. ExteNet’s deployment will include a built-in capability to support future mobile roaming services for Tier 1 providers. “We are excited to deliver a proven solution with an affordable economic model to Peak Internet,” said Jason Osborne, Vice President of Business Develop- ment and Strategic Initiatives for ExteNet Systems. “We understand that traditional approaches with fiber and copper are not always economically viable. Instead, we worked with Peak Internet to deliver an all-IP, fixed wireless solution that delivers the ability to offer fast and reliable wireless broadband connectivity to its customers in the central Colorado region at a competitive price point.” “We chose to work with ExteNet Systems because it’s an established communications infrastructure company with proven experience deploying networks for other wireless broadband access providers in rural markets,” said Jayson Baker, CEO of Peak Internet. “ExteNet’s distributed EPC, a replacement for our prior core solution, enhances our high-speed internet service offerings and provides us the network infrastructure we need to enable a multitude of emerging wireless use cases and applications today and in the future.” m Visit ExteNet for more information at WISPAMERICA booth #804. T he Federal Communications Commission will vote next month on a proposal to speed up the deploy- ment of 5G networks by allowing certain wireless facilities to bypass environmental impact reviews and other assessments. Republican Commissioner Brendan Carr announced the proposal in a speech last week, saying that removing regulatory barriers will help the U.S. remain competi- tive as countries around the world prepare to roll out the new technology. “The rest of the world is very conscious of our leadership in 4G, and they are ques- tioning whether we will have the resolve to take the deregulatory steps necessary to extend our leadership into 5G,” said Carr. “Regulators in Europe, Asia and other parts of the world all want to ensure that their countries lead the way in 5G.” The proposal would exempt small wire- less facilities from having to obtain envi- ronmental and historic reviews that Carr says were intended for larger cell sites. He believes that the move would halve the deployment time for small sites and cut regulatory costs by as much as 80 percent. The FCC will vote on it at its monthly meeting on March 22. In related news, Democrats and Repub- licans in both chambers of Congress are reportedly ready to pass a bill that should facilitate the development of 5G networks in the U.S. The U.S. House will vote on the bill today, a group of lawmakers said in a joint statement. The leaders of the House Energy and Commerce Committee – Repub- lican Chairman Greg Walden of Oregon and Democrat Frank Pallone of New Jersey – as well as leaders of the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee – Republican Chairman John Thune of South Dakota and Democrat Bill Nelson of Florida – said they’re all ready to support the bill, called RAY BAUM’S Act (H.R. 4986). “This bipartisan, bicameral product puts consumers first and solidifies the nation’s critical telecommunications infrastructure, giving the U.S. a global edge in the race to 5G and improving internet services across the country,” the congressmen said in a statement. The bill reauthorizes the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), and it fixes a technicality that had kept the FCC from depositing upfront payments from spectrum bidders directly with the U.S. Treasury. It also includes provisions on identifying more licensed and unlicensed spectrum for private sector use, as well as for reducing the red tape associated with building wireless networks. m FCC to Vote on Proposal to Speed up 5G Deployment Wireless Connections Booth #107 In-Booth Promos & Giveaways Giveaways and prizes at the Wireless Connections booth include a drawing for GoPro action camera.