Federated Wireless sees results of redundancy in ESC network for CBRS

While the industry waits for the government to provide what amounts to the final certification for the Citizens Broadband Radio Service (CBRS) band to launch commercially, this year’s hurricane season is giving companies like Federated Wireless a taste of how well their sensor networks are holding up. Included in the Spectrum Controller that Federated is making available for CBRS is a component known as the Environmental Sensing Capability (ESC), which essentially relies on a redundant network of sensors that identify and protect the federal agencies already using the 3.5 GHz band to make sure defense and government communications aren’t impacted by commercial users. Federated’s sensors have been positioned on rooftops along the nation's coastlines with a line of sight to the coast so they can listen for radar. So far, the deployment of the sensor network is about 80% complete, with an expectation to be 100% done by March, covering the entire continental U.S., according to Federated Wireless President and CEO Iyad Tarazi. “We have built it with triple redundancy to make it very, very reliable,” he told FierceWirelessTech. During Hurricane Michael—when the Florida Panhandle was clocking 155 mph winds—two out of 12 sensors in the area were impacted by the storm, but not to a point that would have impaired the overall network. “That was a pretty good test for us,” and they learned some things that will go toward further hardening of the network, he said. Federated Wireless has been building the sensor network to meet carrier-grade requirements (like five 9s reliability) and for density and reliability from day one, so it will not need to go back to add more sensors later. Once the continental U.S. is covered, it will go to Hawaii and after that, as demand dictates, Alaska and Puerto Rico.