Tarana Wireless raises $60M for gigabit-capable FWA solution

Santa Clara, California-based Tarana Wireless has raised $60 million from satellite operator EchoStar and Khosla Ventures for its fixed wireless solution. The follow-on financing comes after the company raised $28 million, led by OneWeb founder Greg Wyler’s 1010 Holdings. Tarana Wireless is developing what it calls a low-cost suburban wireless gigabit broadband system. It claims its Gigabit 1 (G1) fixed wireless access (FWA) solution can deliver gigabit speeds over non-line-of-sight connections at long range using unlicensed spectrum. The solution is based on Tarana’s radio technology, which it says is immune to obstructions, interference, changing conditions, and spectrum scarcity. The company has been developing smart antennas since it was founded in 2009, and has emerged as a top player in last-mile fixed wireless solutions and radio backhaul. Jan Uddenfeldt, former global CTO for Ericsson and Sony Mobile, who joined the company's board in 2016, described Tarana's technology as “by far the best I’ve seen for wireless fixed access.”