WInnForum CBRS Knowledge Base

The Wireless Innovation Forum (WInnForum) has completed of the ten standards comprising the baseline specifications for commercial operations within the 3.5 GHz Citizens Broadband Radio Service (CBRS) band. WInnForum continues to develop additional follow-up standards. Click below for the specifications, policies and reports documents.

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What the Stakeholders are Saying:

“Our new release of the CBRS standards opens the way for substantial additional innovation in the CBRS band,” said Andrew Clegg of Google. “Now anyone can rapidly add features to CBRS simply by contributing a suitable appendix to the Release 2 specification, and, pending committee approval and appropriate certification requirements, the feature is ready for adoption by CBRS users, equipment manufacturers, and Spectrum Access System (SAS) Administrators, on demand.”

“The Wireless Innovation Forum’s contribution to standards enabling activity on the CBRS band is essential as deployments accelerate in 2020,” said Alan Ewing, Executive Director of the CBRS Alliance. “The changes introduced in the WInnForum Release 2 standards will better support CBRS Alliance efforts to enable OnGo private LTE and 5G networks to use a broad choice of end user devices.”

"Completion of these standards demonstrates that it is now possible to make major changes in how we approach managing spectrum resources to provide the abundant bandwidth essential to our society,” said Eric Schmidt, Executive Chairman of Google parent company Alphabet Inc. “This accomplishment shows that flexible, cloud-based management can enable spectrum to be used for many purposes simultaneously, and relegate the exclusive, command and control vision of spectrum allocation to history."

“The CBRS shared spectrum band has been made available in the US, offering 150MHz of spectrum in a continuous block. This spectrum will enable cost effective coverage and capacity expansion at large scale. Completion of detailed specifications of the CBRS Baseline Standards, while working with various contributors from multiple companies, is a monumental milestone achievement,” said Ricky Corker, Executive Vice President, Nokia. “I would like to congratulate all members of the WInnForum in achieving this milestone. CBRS, using a unique 3-tiered shared spectrum approach, promises efficient use of spectrum, and I cannot wait to see the successful rollout in the US.”

“The completion of the CBRS Baseline Standards represents an important milestone for spectrum sharing, unleashing the band’s potential for innovation. Ericsson’s commitment to supplying LTE equipment for the band will ensure strong commercial support for the ecosystem,” said Paul Challoner, VP Network Product Solutions, Ericsson Inc., USA. “The wholehearted cooperation of incumbents, including the DoD, the NTIA, the fixed satellite industry, and the commitment of the FCC to the success of the CBRS is to be acknowledged. Ericsson looks forward to speedy certification of the SAS and ESC and a smooth transition to commercial operation of LTE nationwide in the 3.5 GHz shared spectrum band.”

“Verizon is pleased to see the WInnForum make timely progress in publishing CBRS protocol and test specifications. These are critical steps in the testing of CBRS SAS systems, ESC systems, and CBSD devices and the eventual deployment of network infrastructure and consumer devices on this highly desirable CBRS spectrum” says Ed Chan, Chief Technology Architect and Network Planning. He added, “Access to additional wireless spectrum is essential for providers who want to deliver on the promise of next generation technologies. We believe the FCC’s new CBRS shared spectrum approach is an innovative and responsible way to leverage all the available spectrum resources in the U.S. We look forward to offering innovative new products and services in this new shared CBRS spectrum.”

“Over the past two years WISPA and its members, both operators and manufacturers, have made substantial investments to be in a position to rapidly deploy in the CBRS band so that we can bring broadband to rural Americans who lack service today,” said Chuck Hogg, Chairman of the Board of the Wireless Internet Service Providers Association (WISPA).  “The release of these standards is a critical milestone that will pave the way for a more connected future in rural America.  With CBRS, the U.S. is on the cusp of commercializing a revolutionary spectrum allocation model — not only will it ensure that limited public airwaves are put to their most efficient use, it also gives innovators from all types of businesses, with all types of business models, the opportunity to compete for protected spectrum."  

“The way spectrum is allocated is changing fast.  3.5GHz CBRS is part of the historic regulatory flexibility trend towards shared and dynamic spectrum for LTE, 5G, and beyond” said Colby Harper, CEO, Pathfinder Wireless.  “Globally, shared spectrum is speeding its way into all forward-looking radio system designs.  Pathfinder Wireless is proud to be part of the process that created these significant new standards.” 

 

Don Stockdale and Julius Knapp, Chiefs of the FCC’s Wireless Telecommunications Bureau and Office of Engineering and Technology, respectively, stated: “The Commission’s rules for the Citizen’s Broadband Radio Service at 3.5 GHz anticipated that a multi-stakeholder process would work to establish many of the details for the functioning of the required Spectrum Access System and related matters. We congratulate WInnForum for completing the development of the CBRS baseline standards, a key milestone towards bringing this service towards deployment.”

 

“Creation of these ten baseline standards included more than 60 stakeholder organizations participating in 1,345 hours of standards development meetings, accounting for more than 30,000 person hours of investment in meetings alone from those organizations,” said Lee Pucker, CEO of the Wireless Innovation Forum. “Now that the WInnForum Baseline Standards are complete, equipment and services targeted for use in the band can begin the certification processes”.

“This release marks a true industry milestone, and the result of months of cooperative effort and hard work across the CBRS ecosystem,” said Kurt Schaubach, CTO, Federated Wireless.  “As one of the leaders of this effort to define the WInnForum Baseline Standards, Federated Wireless is proud to help put this important stake in the ground – the first of many to come in 2018.”

“The WInnForum’s completion of the 3.5 GHz CBRS specifications represents a significant step forward in bringing CBRS to reality,” said Morgan Kurk, Chief Operating Officer, CommScope. “CommScope plans to utilize this comprehensive set of specifications in completing certification of our SAS and thus enabling CBRS services.”

"This milestone is key to ensure CBRS readiness in 2018. RED Technologies' team is proud of being part of this adventure and very excited by what is coming next," said Pierre-Jean Muller, CEO and Co-founder of RED Technologies.

“CBRS using LTE can change the landscape of private and public networks. Completion of specifications of baseline standard of CBRS is a significant achievement. CBRS Alliance welcomes the completion of this critical milestone for commercialization of CBRS,” according to Preston Marshall, Chairman, CBRS Alliance.