Air Wireless says it has developed a way for cable operators to extend broadband wirelessly off of the fiber node using a platform that taps into existing DOCSIS backoffice and provisioning systems and DOCSIS 3.1 cable modems.
Air Wireless has come on the scene with a platform that enables cable operators to extend their hybrid fiber/coax (HFC) networks wirelessly while still taking advantage of their legacy DOCSIS backoffice systems.
The company envisions several use cases for cable operators, including fixed wireless access (FWA) deployments that can edge-out existing HFC networks, support rural government subsidy programs, offload MVNO data and enable emergency, over-the-air backup systems and services.
Air Wireless holds that its approach will help cable operators accelerate their time to market and nail up services much faster than they would with fiber. That option could be used as a long-term solution or as a stopgap before fiber can be deployed for government subsidy initiatives, including the Broadband Equity Access and Deployment (BEAD) program.
Alex Salamon, Air Wireless' chief revenue officer, estimates that cable operators can use Air Wireless to extend their plant and to start pulling revenue from that deployment in a matter of weeks compared to waiting 18 to 24 months to get through a fiber buildout process that requires time for permitting and heavier construction along with access to labor.
"It's a time-to-revenue story," Salamon said. "At some point, there won't be enough construction capacity to support the demand once BEAD starts coming out."
Jeff Heynen, VP with Dell'Oro Group, agrees this option could help cable operators quickly expand their footprints with organic edge-outs or via subsidy programs at a time when they are looking for ways to grow their broadband subscriber bases. The option can reduce the time for cable ops to deploy services off the node, potentially as a placeholder until they can roll out fiber. "It makes a lot of sense," he said.
Tapping into DOCSIS
Air Wireless, which will host a booth at next week's SCTE TechExpo in Atlanta, believes that a big key is its ability to integrate with existing DOCSIS backoffice and provisioning systems.
Using an air interface developed for DOCSIS, Air Wireless' architecture starts with basestations, equipped with remote PHY or remote MACPHY devices. Deployed at the fiber node, those basestations are designed to deliver wireless connections to transceivers that are installed on rooftops of residential or business locations. At the customer premises, the transceiver converts the signal back to DOCSIS and delivers traffic via coax to a DOCSIS 3.1 cable modem.
Example of the Air Wireless architecture. (Source: Air Wireless)
"We are offering a fixed wireless solution, but it's really a DOCSIS extension … We look like another node on the [HFC] plant," Salamon said. "Once operators get over the concept that we're not a fixed wireless operator, but understand that DOCSIS is the key component here, they get it."
Air Wireless President Naveen Kadiyala noted that Air Wireless has completed integration with three original equipment manufacturers that make remote PHY and remote MACPHY devices for cable's distributed access architecture.
Air Wireless, which currently can deliver data wirelessly in spectrum ranging from 2GHz to 90GHz, has Wi-Fi 7 and 5G on its roadmap.
Salamon said Air Wireless has about ten evaluations underway with various service operators, including deployment commitments that are awaiting government approvals on frequency use. Those engagements are with operators in the US, Europe, India, Africa and in Latin America.
Deployments are expected to start in the fourth quarter of this year and then ramp up in 2025 and 2026, he said.
Linkages to Globetel
Air Wireless is a startup, but its baseline technology traces back to Globetel, a company originally based in Europe focused on wireless broadband connectivity. Air Wireless, Kadiyala said, acquired Globetel's intellectual property to establish its core but has been streamlining and enhancing it for application in the US and in other global markets over the past 18 months.
Air Wireless also has some ties to Air5, a startup that is developing a way for cable operators to run 5G traffic on their HFC/DOCSIS networks. The advisory boards of both companies include cable industry vets such as Lorenz Glatz, the former CTO of Kabel Deutschland (now Vodafone) and SVP of design and architecture at Liberty Global; Kip Compton, a former exec at Cisco and Comcast; and Vish Mishra, general partner for Clearstone Venture Partners.
Kadiyala said Air Wireless has about 50 employees and is growing that number. The company declined to comment on its current funding levels and its plans to raise funds.
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