Everything You Need to Know about Celona CBRS

Celona provides CBRS-based network solutions to enterprises all over the world. Based in the United States, the company has created several CBRS solutions to aid in developing private networks.

 Private networks, or decentralized wireless networks, are growing in popularity all over the world and companies like Celona provide assistance and tools to users who want to create networks of their own. The switch from centralized wireless networks is big, and we remain in the first phases of the switch to decentralized wireless networks. Already these changes reverberate through the communications industry. Let’s talk about Celona CBRS.

Celona CBRS

Celona CBRS is a company created by four individuals who want to shake up the status quo in the wireless world. Celona is credited with developing the groundbreaking 5G LAN solution for enterprise technology and leveraging the shared spectrum worldwide to bring private mobile network infrastructure to companies. Enterprises and mobile network operators can increase connectivity and create viable solutions to the ever-growing need for fast data transference worldwide. They have a robust portfolio of products centered around building strong and optimized private networks. Let’s look at their products: 

• The Celona Orchestrator is a cloud-based network administration platform that acts as the home base to coordinate the deployment, operation, and management of a Celona CBRS solution. This product is a user-friendly interface with many powerful tools to help you make the most of your Celona CBRS solutions.  
• The Celona Edge OS is a scalable and resilient operating system built for enterprise deployment. It provides 4G and 5G core services, spectrum management, and a full-function IP stack for seamless connectivity into enterprise LAN. 
• The Celona Access Points provide interference-free network coverage for private networks. They are easy to deploy, easy to manage, and an excellent way to create a CBRS-based network. They have indoor and outdoor models. 

This company does not host a network of its own, rather they work with businesses, delivering products and a robust user interface to manage the network and ensure its continued strength and security. 

CBRS in the United States

Many countries have recently created a private spectrum. The CBRS band is the name of the spectrum band in the United States, but there are different spectrum bands in different regions of the world that serve a similar purpose. CBRS was made available by the FCC in 2016, and in the following years, it has created tremendous change in the way that businesses are able to set up communications networks. In April 2016, the FCC opened up a lot of that spectrum for private use, creating a new way for companies and corporations to communicate using 4G LTE and 5G on their private networks. 

While they can communicate on private networks, switching from the network and infrastructure that already exists within their buildings and campuses is a tall order. Deploying a communications network across a structure of significant size is always a part of the costs, but switching out the infrastructure that’s already there for a new system is a lot of extra cost and work. Still, companies are switching. There are serious, if niche, benefits to using a CBRS-based network. When we say niche, we mean it in the way that a lot of companies don’t need the benefits from a CBRS network like an additional layer of security, more bandwidth, and less latency. 

OnGo Alliance

The OnGo Alliance is a conglomerate of companies that work towards the idea of shared 4G and 5G networks all over the world. They’ve created a lot of technology solutions that allow companies to create their own shared network with ease. This company is working to create an environment where wireless technology solutions are available for a lot of businesses and corporations to let them have efficient data transmission when they need it the most. The OnGo alliance wants to drive a robust wireless marketplace where its solutions are readily available for businesses that want to create their own wireless network without the cost and time that it has required in the past. Their technology is in its beginning stages, but they are spearheading the push toward the next generation of wireless communication. 

The OnGo Alliance pushes CBRS solutions, helping providers like Celona CBRS develop and perfect network deployment and the ability to utilize the strengths of CBRS to the best of their abilities. 

Strengths of Celona CBRS

Enterprises and businesses are switching to CBRS solutions in order to capitalize on their strengths. This industry competes with other providers of wireless connectivity like mobile broadband and WiFi. Let’s take a look at what CBRS brings to the table. 

• CBRS is reliable. It operates on a new, clean spectrum, and the FCC and SAS are in place to ensure that there is no interference and that users receive the maximum amount of possible bandwidth at all times. 
• CBRS is adaptable. Additional access points add network over a wider area and with more bandwidth in high-usage areas. These systems also allow for backup networks on WiFi or public LTE in case of emergency. Critical systems remain operational even if a higher-tier CBRS user blocks the area for a time. 
• CBRS is private. CBRS solutions allow for an additional layer of encryption, increasing the overall security of essential networks. 
• CBRS has a high capacity. The adaptability and scalability of CBRS let companies enjoy increased capacity over other communication mediums. CBRS access points can hold more devices and transfer more data than other solutions. Celona CBRS deployment has already been shown to handle a high volume of device connection and network use. 
• CBRS has robust Quality of Service. Robust QoS ensures that virtual wires remain untangled in complex systems. CBRS offers more control and adaptability over resource sharing on the network. This is especially common in logistics operations where there is a high level of automation within the factory or warehouse.
• CBRS is cost-effective. CBRS deployment is cost-effective compared to other wireless solutions. 

Regulation and Maintenance of the CBRS Network

Prior to 2016, the incumbents held the entire spectrum. Because of this they did not need to worry much about interference. The creation of a public spectrum opened up usage of this network to many more groups, but to do this and keep the spectrum safe for the incumbents it was divided into tiers. 

Three Tiers of CBRS Service

The Citizens Broadband Radio Service needed serious work before it became available to the public. The FCC created three tiers so different types of users could receive different kinds of service. The incumbents, to secure their spot, have complete control, and the priority of usage goes down from there. Whenever a higher tier is using the spectrum in a given area, lower tier users are taken off the network. 

• Incumbents are VIP users and have access to the entirety of the frequency band. They are protected against interference from the other tiers and have access to the frequency band at all times.
• Priority Access Licenses are given out in auction, giving the corporation a slice of the spectrum up to 3.6 GHz. A slice of the spectrum in a slice of the country, that is. The FCC divided the United States into a wide variety of counties where each one was further split into small frequency bands. Licenses are given out in three-year increments. The bidders on this tier are most often big service providers or other big companies, as the licenses are very expensive. 
• The General Authorized Access tier is meant for the general public. Users have access to their specific frequency, but their usage is overridden if either of the other tiers is using that same frequency in their general area. 

Lots of enterprises are GAA users. One of the major worries with CBRS is that you don’t have a guaranteed 24/7 connection. If a higher-tier user enters your airspace all your systems are shut down to prevent interference. Incumbent transmissions are heavy in some areas and light (or nonexistent) in many other areas, which is a main reason why CBRS became public in the first place. PAL users, however, can be anywhere in the country. Celona CBRS can hook up to a secondary network which is critical for those times. It is able to switch devices off the CBRS network and onto the emergency network anytime the main network is offline. 

All of these tiers are overseen by the SAS, which is a regulatory database that ensures that there is no interference across different users and different tiers. For any device to connect to the CBRS spectrum, it first has to register itself with the SAS.

Spectrum Access Service

The CBRS spectrum allows a multitude of users to create and join private wireless networks. The utility of this possibility extends to every part of the market, with private spectrum wireless becoming an excellent way to create a fast and secure network without having to rely on a major wireless company. There are pros and cons to using the CBRS spectrum, just as there are for all kinds of wireless networks, and the non-guaranteed connection is a big one with CBRS. When creating a network on the CBRS spectrum every single device needs to purchase software that lets them take a part of the CBRS spectrum, this software connects them to the SAS. The SAS is a system that coordinates frequencies to dynamically manage the spectrum for all the tiers that use it. 

The SAS is a tremendously large and complicated system that, in essence, distributes the spectrum so that the maximum number of users have access to it all over the country. It is always working to ensure that high-priority users do not have interference while distributing as much of the spectrum to the GAA tier as possible. 

CBRS Devices

There are two main categories of CBRS devices. The first category is the gateways for smart devices to connect to the network, and the other category is the devices themselves. Access points (the gateways) allow certified devices to broadcast onto the network under the supervision of the SAS. If a business opts to deploy a CBRS network, the employees can connect compatible devices to the network or receive new CBRS-compatible devices. Devices receive connection through SIM or eSIM cards, allowing employees to utilize the private mobile network without receiving a device from the company. 

Companies can also give new devices to employees. These devices are often managed by the company's IT department, but they are set up the same way as devices brought by employees. The CBRS spectrum supports a wide variety of devices, like gateways, modems, phones, and devices on the internet of things. 

Celona CBRS in Industry

Enterprises in various industries use Celona CBRS to grow their business and solve their communication needs better. Businesses that want the security, speed, and upgradability of CBRS turn to providers like Celona to optimize their data transfer protocols. Let’s look at a few industries that use Celona CBRS. 

• College Campuses use CBRS to cover large swaths of outdoor spaces, providing a stable and secure network all over the campus. CBRS solutions allow them to create the same coverage with fewer access points than coverage over WiFi. Universities also incorporate smart devices into their CBRS network, connecting them to the internet of things.
• Healthcare relies on their networks' speed, dependability, and security, making them excellent choices for Celona CBRS. Smart machines allow the automation of previously tedious processes, and the network allows for a smoother workflow. 
• Manufacturing plants and warehouses can create more optimized processes with the low-latency Celona CBRS network. CBRS allows for backup networks to secure critical systems in the case of a network shutdown. 

Celona CBRS Key Takeaways

Celona provides excellent CBRS solutions to clients all over the world. We understand if all this talk about Celona CBRS is difficult to digest, so this section will cover some of the most important aspects of this article. 

• Celona CBRS solutions are technology and expertise deployed to users who wish to create powerful CBRS networks in their business and transition to a CBRS-based network. 
• Celona CBRS has many strengths, including capacity, affordability, security, and speed. These strengths make it an exciting switch for companies that require the most robust network on the market, but other solutions, mainly WiFi, fulfill the needs of many companies and households today. 
• The CBRS band undergoes robust regulation and maintenance to ensure that there is no interference for high-tier users. The SAS works overtime behind the scenes to ensure that the CBRS band provides coverage to the maximum quantity of users at all times. 
• The CBRS band is divided into three user tiers, with incumbents at the top, priority access users in the middle, and general authorized access users at the bottom. Early users of the spectrum report certain downtimes, but it varies in a way that has yet eluded any pattern. 

Frequently Asked Questions

Is CBRS better than WiFi?

CBRS provides more capacity, adaptability, and security than WiFi. It enables data distribution in amounts and speeds greater than any other system, making it a great choice for many large-scale industrial and commercial operations. It can be, however, overkill for the network. There are advantages and disadvantages of CBRS networks. It is not better than WiFi, rather it fills a different need. 

What does Celona do? 

Celona provides CBRS solutions to enterprises all over the world. Their technology and user interface allows for efficient and powerful deployment of CBRS networks for all manner of businesses. 

IS CBRS an LTE? 

The CBRS spectrum is able to carry multiple networks, including 4G LTE and 5G networks. 

What’s the difference between 5G and CBRS?

Think of CBRS as the road and 5G as the car. The CBRS band lets 5G networks transfer data wherever it needs to go. 

The CBRS band allows businesses to build private mobile networks. The 5G designation in a network relates to its speed and capacity. 5G networks are cutting-edge technology that are faster and stronger than 4G LTE networks. 

Can anyone use CBRS? 

The CBRS spectrum is a private communications service for personal or business activities of the general public. Anyone can use it, but devices must first be registered with an access provider, making it more popular for business-related ventures at this time. 

Who are Celona’s competitors? 

Right now, Celona’s top competitors include Athonet, Neutron, and Eridan. These companies all provide mobile networks to enterprises and service providers.