CBRS Alliance Announces Publication of Network and Coexistence Baseline Specifications

SUNNYVALE, Calif., April 18, 2018 -- Today, the CBRS Alliance announced that the Network and Coexistence Baseline Specifications have been finalized and published. The CBRS Alliance, which is focused on supporting the development, commercialization, and adoption of LTE solutions for the US 3.5 GHz Citizens Broadband Radio Service (CBRS), has made both sets of specifications publicly available for download on the organization’s website.

The publication of the Baseline Specifications mark a noteworthy milestone - not only for the CBRS Alliance, but for the wireless industry at-large - as it will enable the deployment and coexistence of LTE Private Networks, LTE Neutral Host Networks, or a Hybrid (Private and Neutral Hosted Network) in the 3.5 GHz band, using Standard 3GPP LTE technology.

“The networking and coexistence specifications are the critical foundation the industry needs to ensure seamless interoperability between CBRS Alliance-certified Citizens Broadband Radio Service Devices (CBSDs) when operating in CBRS,” said Dave Wright, President of the CBRS Alliance and director, regulatory affairs & network standards at Ruckus Networks, a founding member company. “2018 is expected to be a marquee year for CBRS, and we are particularly proud to kick it off with this significant technical achievement.”

The technical specifications for coexistence align with WInnForum Baseline specifications. This alignment not only ensures CBSDs will be compatible and coexist; it also guarantees adherence to FCC requirements (part 96). The coexistence technical specifications also address cell phase synchronization, TDD configurations for LTE-TDD CBSDs, GAA channelization and SAS-CBSD protocol extensions.

The network specifications define how to deploy an LTE Private Network, LTE Neutral Host Network, or a Hybrid (private and neutral hosted network) using 3GPP Standard LTE technology. They also include the use cases, requirements, architecture and LTE protocol configuration to support these network deployments.

“These are key specifications to enable commercial deployment of LTE systems in the CBRS Band.  The coexistence specification ensures LTE systems in adjacent channels within the band can operate without the need for guard bands, making use of the spectrum much more efficient.  The Network specifications are necessary to allow new deployment models.” said Al Jette, chair of the Technical Working Group for the CBRS Alliance and Head of North American Standards at Nokia – a founding member company.  “This was a major achievement considering the very diverse 75+ members in the Alliance including:  Mobile Network Operators, Cable Operators, Tower Companies, Manufacturers, Software Providers and more.”

For more information on the CBRS Alliance, and a full list of member companies, please visit www.cbrsalliance.org.

About CBRS Alliance
The CBRS Alliance believes that LTE-based solutions in the CBRS band, utilizing shared spectrum, can enable both in-building and outdoor coverage and capacity expansion at massive scale. In order to maximize CBRS' full potential, the CBRS Alliance aims to enable a robust ecosystem towards making LTE-based CBRS solutions available. The mission of the CBRS Alliance is to evangelize LTE-based CBRS technology, use cases and business opportunities while simultaneously driving technology developments necessary to fulfill the mission, including multi-operator LTE capabilities. The Alliance will also establish an effective product certification program for LTE equipment in the US 3.5 GHz band ensuring multi-vendor interoperability. For more information, please visit http://www.cbrsalliance.org and follow the CBRS Alliance on LinkedIn and Twitter.

CONTACTS
CBRS Alliance
Media & Analyst Relations
Meghan Brown
10Fold Communications
[email protected]
415-800-5389