Verizon adds to adapter portfolio to boost 5G fixed wireless access

In what it is regarded as a significant milestone for its 5G fixed wireless access strategy, cloud-delivered LTE and 5G wireless network edge services provider Verizon Business has certified the Cradlepoint W1850 5G Wideband adapter to provide C-band spectrum connectivity across its 5G Ultra Wideband (UWB) network.

The operator says the move means enterprise and business market customers can now harness the power of 5G UWB and edge technologies, and with this device, get the speed and flexibility they need, especially those with a distributed or hybrid workforce.

Offering context for the launch, Verizon noted that businesses looking to deploy a 5G distributed wireless wide access network (WAN) needed more than just glorified hotspots. It emphasises that they needed offerings that are tried and tested, interoperate with software-defined (SD) WAN and other contemporary network infrastructure, and provide complete lifecycle management at scale, including cellular data plans.

Moreover, the operator said that for businesses, the need for fibre-fast and cellular-simple connectivity was expanding and driving the need for 5G services. To meet this demand, Verizon plans to have 5G UWB available to 175 million people by year-end 2022.

“Businesses are looking for partners that can provide fit-for-purpose solutions that unlock the full potential of 5G,” said Massimo Peselli, senior vice-president of global enterprise at Verizon Business.

“The collaboration we’ve announced today with Cradlepoint unlocks the potential of cellular for businesses and delivers Verizon’s 5G Ultra Wideband to businesses of all sizes, enabling them to take advantage of C-Band spectrum. Our strategic relationship has allowed us to deliver enterprise class solutions that, among other things, enable IT organisations to manage the entire Wireless WAN lifecycle.”

A subsidiary of Ericsson’s business area technologies and new businesses division, Cradlepoint claims to be first to market with what it describes as “the most comprehensive” 5G for business portfolio, which enables enterprises to deploy and manage distributed wireless WANs. With over a million active users between them, Cradlepoint and Verizon have an existing relationship delivering wireless WAN services to some of the world’s largest enterprises.

Cradlepoint is confident that its C-band-capable W1850 Wideband Adapter will provide Verizon customers with the speed, capacity and coverage they need to support bandwidth-intensive and latency-sensitive use cases, such as video, immersive and collaborative applications.

“Cradlepoint 5G Wireless WAN solutions have been specifically designed to support the Verizon 5G mid-band networks and have gone through extensive testing and certification from Verizon,” said Justin Blair, vice-president of carrier business development.

“Cradlepoint has in-depth experience supporting enterprise adoption of 5G services – whether you need low, mid or high band – we will have you covered regardless of your use case.”