Redzone Wireless, LLC Affirms Plans for National Expansion of 5Gx Multi-Spectrum Fixed Wireless Services to Reduce U.S. Rural Broadband Deficit
Company Confirms Active Discussions to Develop Strategic Alliances Leveraging Its Statewide 2.5 GHz FCC-Licensed Broadband Spectrum Portfolio
May 15, 2017 – Rockland, Maine. Redzone Wireless, LLC, a leading wireless Internet service provider (WISP), is preparing to expand beyond the borders of Maine and leverage it’s breakthrough 5Gx Fixed Wireless Broadband network technology in other areas of the U.S. struggling with inadequate broadband infrastructure.
“Redzone has identified a significant market opportunity to partner with both regional and national technology and telecommunications companies to build on our fixed wireless expertise, spectrum portfolio and network assets to extend our broadband delivery services further in Maine and across the country,” said Jim McKenna, Redzone President. “We are actively exploring a number of possible strategic partnership models to support our expansion plans.”
In support of this initiative, the company has engaged the internationally recognized wireless telecommunications industry analyst firm Wireless 20/20 to perform an independent fixed wireless business model & spectrum portfolio analysis to support a wide range of strategic options.
The company is the 5th largest holder of licensed 2.5 GHz EBS spectrum leases in the U.S. The spectrum held by Redzone is an ideal high band for mobile & fixed wireless network deployments, and has recently been identified as premium low band spectrum for next generation 5G telecommunications services.
Redzone activated the first phase of it’s 5Gx network framework for fixed wireless broadband delivery in January of 2017, combining both licensed LTE and unlicensed wireless spectrum bands on a single tower, and integrating them on a proprietary operational support system (OSS) platform. This strategy maximizes bandwidth availability on a per site basis, affording Redzone the capability to service more customers from each site, and at faster speeds than LTE alone can currently provide. By integrating the technologies onto a common OSS Redzone gains operational efficiencies through spectrum aggregation, including the capability to migrate customers seamlessly between the wireless platforms.
Redzone’s 5Gx Fixed Wireless Broadband Network was launched in January 2017, providing broadband service access to 50,000 households in 10 selected rural and suburban Maine markets. Redzone plans further expansion of this 5Gx network to it’s entire Maine service area of 225,000 households by the end of 2017.
“Redzone’s 5Gx significantly increases fixed wireless broadband performance, while materially reducing network deployment costs and time, said Michael Forcillo, Vice President Redzone Wireless, LLC. “Redzone is advancing the market with fixed wireless broadband innovation, and our new integrated technology platform is scalable beyond Maine to deliver on the promise of affordable next generation broadband access for many underserved areas of the country.”
The Federal Communications Commission’s most recent broadband progress report, released in January 2016, found that 53 percent of Americans and 87 percent of rural Americans had no access to high-speed wireless service. Both the relatively limited availability of fast wireless Internet nationwide and the rural-urban disconnect on availability are often cited factors in the so-called “digital divide”, relegating low-income and rural consumers to limited or no internet service.
Since June of 2015, Redzone Wireless has expanded it’s fixed wireless broadband network to over 60 Maine communities, covering 225,000 Maine households and more than 40,000 businesses across the state. Redzone’s broadband network in Maine is believed to be the largest active multi-spectrum fixed wireless deployment of its kind in the US.