GeoLinks, a provider of next-generation fixed wireless and the largest holder of licensed local multipoint distribution service (LMDS) spectrum in the United States, is making its LMDS (29/31 GHz) licensed-spectrum available to American wireless internet service providers (WISPs), giving them access to license-protected, secure and interference-free frequencies in more than 1,300 counties nationwide, the company announced.
“The licensed lockout is over. We’re opening LMDS, so WISPs can deliver fiber-like performance on their own licensed spectrum,” said Kevin Hetrick, CEO. “This is how WISPs gain control, end the unlicensed spectrum race and win their markets.”
The announcement was made Tuesday during the Emerging Tech Showcase (ETS) at WISPAPALOOZA 2025 in Las Vegas. The move marks a “pivotal shift in how WISPs can scale, compete and deliver fiber-grade performance—without fiber’s cost or delay,” officials said.
“Licensed point-to-multipoint mmWave expands opportunities,” said Sanyogita Shamsunder, CTO of GeoLinks. “With MU-MIMO, advanced beamforming and proven carrier-grade radios, WISPs can deploy multi-gigabit networks in days on existing networks and build new ones far faster and more cost-effectively than by traditional trenching and laying or hanging cables.”
GeoLinks is now accepting requests from qualified WISPs nationwide to claim one or more of 1,300 available counties. During WISPAPALOOZA, which ends Oct. 16, the company is offering one to one technical briefings and pilot discussions at its booth (837) as well as ongoing field demos from remote installations that highlight deployment models for WISPs, municipalities, school districts, public safety, healthcare and enterprise campuses, the company said.
Expanded multi-state pilot deployments will begin at the conclusion of the WISPAPALOOZA event.
Additional benefits for WISPs include licensed protection against interference and unauthorized access, long-term licensed rights and market-ready rollouts in weeks, officials said.
“This significantly moves the ball for WISPs nationwide,” said David Zumwalt, president and CEO of Wireless Internet Service Providers Association, which hosts the annual WISPAPALOOZA event. “Access to licensed LMDS gives WISPs predictability, capacity and interference protection, which are powerful tools to compete.”
This week in Las Vegas, GeoLinks demonstrated fiber-class, symmetrical throughput over its licensed spectrum using Intracom Telecom’s WiBAS G5 PtMP platform and carrier backhaul on SAF Tehnika Integra-X radios. WiBAS G5 supports MU-MIMO with advanced beamforming in the 29 GHz to 31 GHz ranges. Integra-X supports up to 2.2 Gbps with built-in 2+0 XPIC, officials said.
“A new chapter for American broadband continues unfolding with next-generation technology powering licensed spectrum across GeoLinks nationwide footprint,” company officials said. “Fixed wireless now brings interference-free, multi-gigabit, low-latency performance to businesses, institutions and residential customers in dense urban centers to suburbs and rural communities alike, accelerating digital inclusion and opening a new era for Gigabit broadband in the United States.”
