| |JUNE 20219platforms. These traditional platforms provide the ro-bust, scalable capacity, and coverage that MNOs have demanded. However, the cost of these systems, along with the emergence of new technology, have driven the demand for alternative solutions, particularly in venues that aren't necessarily the highest trafficked venues in a particular market, but still have wireless coverage or capacity issues.One of the alternative solutions that have gained much traction with the MNOs has been Distribut-ed Radio Access Networks (DRAN), in which the MNO's Radio Heads, as the RF source, are distribut-ed throughout a venue. Mobilitie provides fiber and power aggregation points that the MNOs can use to plug small cells or other Remote Radio Heads into a passive RF distribution network. A variation on this solution is Centralized RAN (CRAN). CRAN is simi-lar to DRAN with the exception being the baseband units that control the Radio Heads are located in an off-site, centralized location that can serve multiple venues. In addition to lower costs, DRAN solutions also provide increased simplicity, control, and visibil-ity to the MNOs, making it their preferred solution in many cases.As LTE continues along its evolution-ary path towards 5G, new wireless supplements such as Licensed Assist-ed Access (LAA) and LTE-LWAN Ag gr e g a tion (LWA) are be-ing utilized. LAA and LWA both augment a MNO's licensed spectrum by utilizing unli-censed 5GHz spectrum in the Wi-Fi band to provide additional capacity and higher data throughput. As with DRAN solutions, LAA and LWA provide prom-ising options for the MNOs but venues may be less receptive due to the potential impact on their own Wi-Fi networks. Mobilitie must perform a careful evaluation of these various options for each ven-ue and manage the sometimes delicate balance be-tween meeting the MNO's technology preferences and the venues' desire for unobtrusive installations that do not adversely impact any of their existing wireless systems.The industry continues to evolve and the next big step in that evolution is the emergence of Citizen's Broadband Radio Service (CBRS). The FCC has allocat-ed 150 MHz of spectrum, previously used by the U.S. Navy, in the 3.5 GHz band. CBRS offers a host of new opportunities for Mobilitie and provides a path towards business and technical models that feature shared RAN and shared spectrum, reducing the cost and level of complexity to deploy in-building wireless services. CBRS also opens new opportunities for wireless solu-tions in venues that have historically been difficult to deploy in-building systems in due to high costs or lack of MNO prioritization.Mobilitie is perpetually evaluating the impact of these emerging technologies and anticipating how they will change the needs of our clients, namely the venues we serve, and our MNO partners. For the ven-ues; Internet of Things (IoT) and industrial automa-tion services are rapidly gaining traction and enhanc-ing the need for robust Wi-Fi and LTE services. Venues also continue to demand solutions that will attract the MNOs to underserved verticals such as hospitals, fac-tories, and commercial real estate. The MNOs are in the midst of their own migration to 5G services in pur-suit of 1 Gbps data speeds, and Mobilitie must be in a position to facilitate that migration by providing the MNOs with the ability to easily deploy new technolo-gies and spectrum bands. That will include expanded antenna beam capabilities, virtualizing the RAN and the adoption of unlicensed spectrum platforms such as CBRS to reduce the costs and resources need to deploy in-building wireless services. Mobil-itie has a long history of evaluating indus-try trends and anticipating their impact. The rapidly changing technology land-scape of today only reinforces our com-mitment to evolving to meet our clients' needs. Christos Karmis
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