The main advantage of licensed wireless over unlicensed, as the name implies, is the fact that it uses licensed spectrum. This means the number of service providers using that spectrum is limited, typically to just one provider in a geographic area. This has the advantage of reducing harmful RF interference that would otherwise degrade performance and reliability to unacceptable levels.
Service providers pay for this however, in license fees that can be expensive to acquire, typically through auctions or secondary markets. Unlicensed spectrum, on the other hand, is free for anyone to use. This means providers can use it right away with no additional cost beyond that required for the radio hardware. The downside of unlicensed spectrum, of course, is that anyone can use it. Therefore, RF interference is a real problem that can severely impact performance and reliability.
But what if you could have the ease and no-fees cost of unlicensed spectrum without interference? This is where Tarana’s next-generation fixed wireless (ngFWA) technology comes into play.
Tarana’s Gigabit 1 (G1) platform was designed from the ground up to deliver high-performance throughput wireless, even in locations subject to high RF interference from other radios. It does this through a number of innovations that other FWA equipment simply can’t do.
Beamforming and Deep Nulls
G1’s use of fine-grain tx and rx beamforming, allows it to precisely place beams where the signal gain is most advantageous — improving link speed and distance. Conversely, it can place an RF null wherever there is a source of interference. With these techniques, G1 can cancel harmful interference by up to 45 dB. This makes links that would not have been feasible before not only possible, but high performing.
Asynchronous Burst Interference Cancellation (ABIC)
ABIC is a G1 innovation that is specifically designed to address intermittent interference such as that from nearby Wi-Fi radios. This is particularly important for equipment located at the subscriber location since most homes and businesses have Wi-Fi networks.
These innovations, and more, all contribute to G1’s licensed-like performance in unlicensed spectrum. It could be argued that G1’s performance is better than licensed. Simply because the spectrum is licensed does not mean there will be no interference. This is particularly true for self-interference on towers. Despite this, licensed-band radios are typically not designed to handle any interference at all, so even this amount will noticeably decrease performance. G1, on the other hand, does not suffer from this problem.
With Tarana’s ngFWA noise cancellation, operators can confidently deploy networks in unlicensed spectrum and reap all of the benefits of unlicensed operation without sacrificing on performance and reliability.
If you just can’t wait to learn more, check out our other blogs or some of our favorite customer links. Or reach out to us at info@taranawireless.com. We’d love to hear from you.