CBRS annual spending to eclipse $1.3B – forecast

SNS Telecom & IT's latest research report indicates that annual spending on CBRS networks will surpass $1.3 Billion by 2027, driven by private cellular, neutral host and fixed wireless broadband network deployments, along with a slow but steady expansion of investments in 5G buildouts to enhance cable operators' MVNO services.

After many years of regulatory, standardization and technical implementation activities, the United States' dynamic, three-tiered, hierarchical framework for coordinated shared use of 150 MHz of spectrum in the 3.5 GHz CBRS (Citizens Broadband Radio Service) band is experiencing a renewed wave of enthusiasm. This reinvigoration of interest follows a recent relaxation of rules and guidelines – collectively referred to as CBRS 2.0 – which extends uninterrupted commercial operations in the CBRS band from 78% to 97% of the country's total landmass, among other refinements. Complementing these initiatives are new FCC (Federal Communications Commission) proposals aimed at fostering innovation and continued growth of CBRS networks through additional changes to the spectrum sharing framework, ranging from higher transmit power levels to interference protection for critical private network users in indoor facilities.

Although the shared spectrum arrangement is access technology neutral, the 3GPP cellular wireless ecosystem is at the forefront of CBRS adoption, with close to half of the more than 400,000 active CBSDs (Citizens Broadband Radio Service Devices) based on LTE and 5G NR air interface technologies. The rest of the market comprises fixed wireless broadband networks built using non-3GPP equipment supplied by the likes of Cambium Networks and Tarana Wireless.

Read the full press release here.

SNS Telecom & IT