Airspan Networks Inc. (“Airspan”), which provides ground-breaking, disruptive software and hardware for 5G network solutions, announced the launch of several new 5G indoor and outdoor products to tackle the fast-growing market for CBRS, cable providers and private networks solutions.
Airspan’s 5G product portfolio, including the foundational OpenRANGE software platform, features Open RAN virtual software functions (CU/Central Unit, DU/Distributed Unit), which connect to a wide portfolio of outdoor massive MIMO radios and indoor small form factor equipment, working on both sub 6 GHz and millimeter (mmWave) spectrum bands. Thousands of these solutions have already been deployed commercially, with tens of thousands more ordered and expected for deployment this year.
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The wireless market has been revolutionized by the addition of new players, courtesy of CBRS spectrum and spectrum for private networks is becoming available worldwide. New opportunities through CBRS, private networks and cable providers looking to expand into wireless have led quickly to a new set of solutions and features that non-traditional carriers are now adopting, at increasing rates.
The new Airspan suite of 5G solutions meet these new needs head on with the following product families:
- AirSpeed Family of Products: There’s a fast-growing need to build low-power outdoor small cells to densify 5G networks, as a critical complement to the macro network (existing cell towers that provide large areas of coverage). With CBRS and private networks being a high priority for wireless carriers and new market entrants, Airspan has introduced new solutions that are plug and play, and easy to deploy to help provide network coverage and capacity. Target scenarios are outdoor areas where defined coverage or enhanced capacity are required like campus networks, enterprises/factories with significant outdoor courtyards, and Smart City applications.
- AirStrand Family of Products: Cable operators (MSOs) require different form factor radios for use in their urban footprint. Airspan has upgraded its successful AirStrand solutions to introduce a new version that provides 5G functionality. This new product can be deployed in less than an hour on existing cable strands (typically above ground), feeding power and backhaul from their existing DOCSIS infrastructure. These easy-to-install small form factor products meet local zoning requirements, providing Airspan customers with speed to market to build their wireless networks. Airspan was able to deploy thousands of these radios in nine months in the suburban New York City area.
- AirStar Family of Products: Airspan has developed radios that can be installed indoors that provide coverage both indoors and outdoors, creating a new option for 5G densification. The radios have two sectors, which provides higher power for outdoor coverage, and lower power needed for indoors, solving two problems.
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New Solutions Feature 5G CBRS Options
These new family of products support several bands including CBRS. Existing massive MIMO macro (Air5G 5700) and indoor (Air Velocity 2700) solutions have also been adapted to the CBRS market, meeting power level restrictions and required certifications.
Airspan radios follow a modularized design, which simplifies the decision of the level of virtualization required. The new family of radios support high layer split (3GPP split 2) as well as all-in-one gNB to meet the transport requirements in these new market segments. This modularized design also opens the possibility to use point-to-multi-point (PtP/PtMP) wireless backhaul solutions in areas with no existing wired transport through our Mimosa by Airspan solutions.
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