Unlock the power of Gigabit Fixed Wireless Access and ultra-broadband transmission to elevate your BEAD application, delivering seamless high-speed connectivity to underserved communities.
BEAD is a federal grant program with the objective to offer fixed broadband service to all Americans. The BEAD implementation phase starts in 2024 and is planned to last for 4 years. The program includes $42.5B to build network infrastructure and increase adoption of high-speed internet.
The main objective is to close the digital divide, prioritizing unserved and underserved locations only having access to speeds below 100/20 Mbps.
BEAD aims to build networks offering Reliable Broadband Service (RBS) to meet present needs and for the foreseeable future. For this purpose, BEAD prioritizes certain broadband technologies:
Furthermore, minimum performance requirements are set so that speeds are not less than 100 Mbps for downloads and 20 Mbps for uploads, while 95% of latency measurements during testing windows must be at or below 100 milliseconds, round-trip time. Technical solutions offering superior network performance to the above minimum thresholds will be treated favorably. receiving high scoring and thus maximizing the chances to be finally selected for implementation.
The solution selection process within the BEAD program is challenging. Every single unserved or under-served location should be served with reliable RBS service of at least 100/20 Mbps speed. Fiber technologies are great, but fiber cannot reach every single user cost effectively. It is estimated that an “all” fiber solution nationwide would require the quadruple of available BEAD funds.
In this context FWA solutions in licensed bands are of key importance to meet BEAD objectives with the available resources. More specifically, FWA solutions in millimeter Wave (mmWave) bands offer not only reliable broadband service, but also very high capacity taking advantage of the ample spectrum resources in these bands.
Intracom Telecom offers the market leading WiBAS™ G5 FWA solution operating in the UMFUS/LMDS mmWave bands. WiBAS™ G5 smart-BS employs cutting-edge MU-Massive Beamforming MIMO technology expanding connectivity over long distances with optimum utilization of available spectrum resources. Together with WiBAS™ G5 GigaConnect terminal radios at the customer premises, blazing-fast and reliable Gbps services are delivered quickly and cost effectively. The WiBAS™ G5 FWA solution is BEAD-qualified as Reliable Broadband Service (RBS) technology, fully satisfying all BEAD technical requirements.
In addition, our value proposition is further strengthened with our UltraLink™-GX80, the market's leading system gain E-Band radio, which can be used as a cost-effective optical fiber alternative for gigabit and muti-gigabit Middle Mile applications. UltraLink™-GX80 delivers 10 Gbps full-duplex of Ethernet throughput farther than any other E-Band radio in the market today in a 1+0 PtP link configuration. Its low-transport latency, well below a hundred microseconds (0.1 ms) in a 2000 MHz channel size, makes UltraLink™-GX80 the ideal optical fiber alternative for BEAD-compliant network deployments. Finally, our advanced life-cycle management platform (NMS), uni|MS™, provides a powerful tool to the operator for managing the entire network lifecycle from planning to operation and optimization. In addition, the uni|MS™ platform can be further extended to control and monitor all remote site assets from the same desktop.
Intracom Telecom's proposal, including the WiBAS™ G5 mmWave FWA solution, the UltraLink™-GX80 E-Band midhaul solution and the uni|MS™ lifecycle-management platform can effectively achieve the BEAD goals with maximum performance and cost efficiency.
Spectrum is a rare and valuable asset. For a spectrum license owner money can be made by deploying networks immediately and/or by subleasing some of the acquired spectrum to other WiSPs. . The motive behind the sudden increase of interest in mmW spectrum is due to recent technology advances which permit the reliable high capacity operation of reliable Fixed Wireless Access (FWA) networks generating high ARPU for its owners.
Due to the exponential growth of demand for spectrum resources the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), has taken a firm stance on spectrum management in the United States, particularly with millimeter-wave (mmWave) spectrum holdings, under the policy of "use it or lose it." The FCC's goal is to ensure that spectrum is actively utilized by its owners to foster technological advancement and avoid stagnation.
The licensees have the obligation to show that they provide Point-to-Point or Point-to-Multipoint signal coverage to at least 25% of the geographic area of the license. Licensees relying on fixed point-to-point links or other, low-power point-to-point connections must show that they have deployed at least one transmitter or receiver in at least 25% of the districts (census tracts) within the license area. Failure to satisfy these requirements will result in automatic cancellation of the license.
In this context the availability of mmW spectrum to be cost effectively sublicensed becomes a potential game changer for any WiSP.
Intracom Telecom can aid the operators save their spectrum assets with the WiBAS™ G5 new Point-to-MultiPoint Fixed Wireless Access platform operating in the mmWave-licensed spectrum of 24.25 - 29.5 GHz. WiBAS™ G5 system can deliver Gigabit speeds to residential and business subscribers thus enabling operators to deploy Ultra-Fast Fixed Wireless Networks in s quick and cost-efficient manner.
The 28 GHz spectrum is one of the "Flexible Service" bands, where multiple technologies can operate, side by side. One of the great advantages of WiBAS™ G5 smart-BS PtMP Base Station is that it can operate side-by-side with 5G systems in adjacent channels thanks to its intelligent software and compliance with established regulations for spectrum use.
If an operator selects the option of deploying PtP links to preserve their spectrum, the WiBAS™ G5 product line includes another Base Station/terminal station combination that can provide a solution due to its operational flexibility. WiBAS™ G5 evo-BS (Base Station) and WiBAS™ G5 Connect+ (Terminal Station) can operate in PtP mode by combining the Base Station hardware and the terminal station equipped with a parabolic, narrow-beam antenna, satisfying FCC's high-power requirements for "fixed point-to-point link" radio transmission between point-to-point stations in the UMFUS (Upper Microwave Flexible Use Service).
E-Band (71-76 GHz & 81-86 GHz) radios are being used by many types of Communication Service Providers (CSPs), such as Mobile Operators, Fixed Wireless Access (FWA) service providers and ISPs, as a cost-effective optical fiber alternative for reliable multi-gigabit transport applications.
Intracom Telecom's UltraLink™ leading RF performance E-Band radios can be used to backhaul the 5G-era, ultra-high capacity, FWA Base Stations, such as Intracom Telecom’s broadband access WiBAS™ G5 system that can connect homes wat Gigabit speed.
Intracom Telecom currently offers a complete range of E-Band products satisfying various wireless transport and access market use cases. Since 2016, more than 30,000 UltraLink™ radio units have been deployed by service providers around the world, providing backhaul connectivity in 4G and 5G Mobile Radio Access Networks (RAN), FWA networks as well as private network high-end transport and access services.
UltraLink™-GX80, the market’s leading system gain 10 Gbit/s FDD radio, can deliver 10 Gbit/s full duplex of Ethernet throughput farther than any other E-Band radio in the market today in a 1+0 PtP link configuration. Its low transport latency, well below a hundred micro-seconds (0.1 ms) in 2,000 MHz channel size, makes UltraLink™-GX80 the ideal optical fiber alternative for BEAD-compliant network deployments in combination with next-generation licensed FWA systems for Reliable Broadband Service (RBS) delivery.
UltraLink™-GX80 PtP links are ideal for providing multi-gigabit/s transport service, as they can be deployed faster and much more cost-effectively than optical fiber cables.