Microsoft and Radwin are teaming together to bolster the TV White Space ecosystem, through Microsoft’s Airband initiative, which focuses on rural broadband.
Radwin will develop and introduce a TV White Space solution. Fixed wireless technology using TV White Space spectrum is one of the featured technologies of the Airband initiative, which Microsoft is championing to expand rural broadband to unserved and underserved communities.
Airband is currently working on 23 projects in 15 states according to information provided by Microsoft to the FCC. Recent service provider partnership announcements, including Declaration Networks Group and Packerland Broadband, focus on using TV White Space spectrum for fixed wireless broadband. The Packerland Broadband project aims to deliver 25/3 Mbps broadband service to rural areas in Michigan and Wisconsin.
The announced Radwin partnership is expected to start delivering solutions in the second half of 2019.
“The TV White Space radio ecosystem is rapidly growing, and we are excited to work with RADWIN to bring innovative technologies to market at a global scale,” said Paul Garnett, senior director of the Microsoft Airband Initiative, in a prepared statement. “Our partnership with Radwin, a recognized global leader in fixed wireless broadband access, will help address the rural broadband gap for residents and businesses, enabling farmers, healthcare professionals, educators, business leaders and others to fully participate in the digital economy.”
“Radwin is a leading provider of broadband access solutions, enabling service providers globally to connect unserved and underserved homes and businesses,” said Sharon Sher, Radwin’s president and CEO, in a prepared statement. “The addition of innovative TV White Space solutions to Radwin’s portfolio, which complements our sub-6GHz and mmWave fixed wireless offering, would enable our service provider customers and partners to extend their footprint by connecting more remote subscribers in challenging deployment use cases, penetrating through terrain obstructions and vegetation, and therefore helping to close the digital divide.”
