How Citizens Broadband Radio Service, or CBRS, Brings More People Together

Rather than a CB radio service or some sort of community service broadcasting weather forecasts, CBRS is a shared spectrum approach allowing Mobile Network Operators to reach areas where it’s not possible to utilize fiber or other forms of connectivity.

It also solves limitations like limited 4G LTE in remote areas and a lack of predictable latency, an inability to prioritize traffic and security limitations with Wi-Fi.

Ashish Bhatia, Senior Technical Sales Engineer at Samsung Electronics America, said new FCC rules allows for shared use of the 150 MHz spectrum in the 3.5 GHz band from 3.55 to 3.70 GHz on a licensed basis, a complicated sounding way of saying there now can be shared tiers.

“It breaks down like this – using a three-tier sharing model, users are broken down into tiers based on priority that go from tier one, incumbent users, to tier two, commercial users with priority access licenses, and tier three, where general, authorized users live,” Bhatia said. “This categorization and shared access helps enable efficient use of finite spectrum resources.”

With better indoor coverage and a high quality, reliable service, it should be something customers in those areas, whether commercial or residential, are pleased to utilize, as well.

“The CBRS spectrum can be used for home broadband in rural or underserved areas where fiber or other forms of connectivity aren’t possible,” Bhatia said. “For enterprises, with the use of small-cell infrastructure supporting the CBRS bands, they can have direct control over their network coverage with high quality of service and little to no licensing fees, because the spectrum is shared.”

It all works together to provide an exciting opportunity for MNOs and their customers.

Networks TechTalk podcast was previously named Recalibrate with Samsung Networks.