BELLEVUE, Wash.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Geoverse, a national private cellular networks operator, today announced that state and local school districts across the United States are benefiting from Geoverse’s broadband connectivity solutions to fuel education initiatives in underserved areas. Some forward-looking school districts are also pairing these initiatives with Smart City endeavors, including smart traffic lights, smart buildings, connected buses and public broadband connectivity in downtown areas and parks, among other use cases.
The pandemic showcased how significant the “Homework Gap” was in many communities. As students return to in-person classes, many struggle without the same level of broadband connectivity they have access to in school. They either do not have a wired broadband connection at home, or their wireless data plan from a public carrier becomes too expensive to support the bandwidth required by remote learning.
As many as 30 million Americans live in areas where there is no broadband infrastructure to provide minimally acceptable speeds, according to the White House. Through legislative initiatives, including the forthcoming bipartisan US Infrastructure Bill that is expected to include another $65 Billion dollars allocated for broadband infrastructure and internet access, school districts are increasingly opting to build private wireless networks with partners like Geoverse as they come to the realization that remote learning is no longer a short term need. Geoverse brings connectivity to these households using cellular and Citizens Broadband Radio Network (CBRS) wireless spectrum. These private networks are secure and give the school district greater control over what content their students and staff can access.
Geoverse works with state and local education districts in two ways:
- Geoverse partners directly with the district to become a trusted extension of resource-constrained IT departments. One use case includes connecting a large number of students to continue online learning without expensive data overages they might see with a public wireless service provider. The schools have control of what materials and information the students can access online in a more secure fashion than through Wi-Fi and other alternatives.
- Geoverse also works with municipalities where schools are a piece of a larger connectivity puzzle. One use case includes building a private municipal network throughout the city to support secure remote learning for thousands of students across several school districts. In addition to the schools, connectivity is utilized to provide public Wi-Fi on buses and in public areas throughout the city, as well as to control the city’s network of traffic lights.
These advanced networks leverage the ability of both shared and licensed CBRS spectrum to deliver a high-performance and secure connectivity solution, tailored to the physical environment and user community, guaranteeing a high-quality secure, consistent user experience.
“As school districts look to provide broadband access to students who otherwise cannot afford it or do not have access, they are finding they can extend those benefits even further, to the city as a whole,” said Rod Nelson, CEO, Geoverse. “While school districts and cities are taking different approaches to establishing this connectivity, the common thread is Geoverse as the enabler. We’re pleased to play such a significant role in helping school districts around the country provide broadband access to all their students.”
About Geoverse
Geoverse is a national mobile operator that provides turnkey connectivity solutions for enterprises, property owners, and communities. The company’s private 5G/LTE cellular network offering—based on citizens broadband radio service (CBRS) and licensed LTE spectrum—interconnects with major mobile operators, delivering a secure, flexible solution enabling value-added applications and high-performance communications for users and devices. Geoverse, the largest Neutral Host operator in the US, is a subsidiary of ATN International (NASDAQ: ATNI), a company with more than 30 years of experience building and operating cellular solutions for enterprises, carriers, and consumers. www.geoverse.io
