BOCA RATON, Fla. & KANSAS CITY, Mo.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Mercury Broadband, a leading provider of high-speed Internet across rural markets in the U.S. Midwest, has selected Airspan Networks Inc., a subsidiary of Airspan Networks Holdings Inc. (NYSE American: MIMO), a U.S.-based provider of groundbreaking, disruptive software and hardware for 5G networks, as the lead RAN network supplier for CBRS Fixed Wireless Access (FWA) solutions to provide broadband connectivity and enhanced services to its customers in several U.S. Midwestern states.
As part of its rural broadband network expansion, Mercury Broadband has purchased and deployed hundreds of CBRS radios, equipment and software from Airspan, designed to significantly expand construction and operations of its rural broadband network. Mercury is a major winning bidder of federal funds from the Rural Digital Opportunity Fund (RDOF), a US Federal Communications Commission (FCC) initiative planned to close the digital divide in the US through the deployment of rural broadband networks.
Airspan is providing its AirSpeed 1030 radios for use across Mercury Broadband’s network within its first phase of network expansion in Kansas, Missouri, Indiana, and Michigan. Mercury Broadband also plans to utilize AirSpeed 1030 radios in markets slated for later this year across Ohio and Illinois. Mercury projects the impact of the AirSpeed 1030s to also increase the company’s service level agreements (SLAs) to their subscribers by several orders of magnitude.
“Airspan’s expertise in innovative CBRS solutions allows us to offer our customers reliable and expanding rural broadband connectivity,” said Garrett Wiseman, Chief Executive Officer, Mercury Broadband. “Everyone should have access to stable, high-speed Internet service, no matter their location, and with CBRS, we can extend our wireless network to more hard-to-reach areas. Airspan’s reliable solutions will support us and our customers as we expand our rural broadband footprint to better serve our customers.”
Mercury Broadband plans to leverage Airspan’s leading 5G CBRS solutions to expand its service offerings through FWA. This includes offering new services for businesses, as well as providing smart home experiences such as an advanced managed Wi-Fi solution that will provide consumers the ability to manage a range of functions—from home security to appliances—via a single device.
“This innovative solution, working with Mercury Broadband, is another example of how Airspan is leading the way with the right set of solutions and technological expertise in CBRS to help better serve rural America,” said Airspan Chairman and CEO Eric Stonestrom. “We are proud to work with Mercury Broadband to provide solutions to serve rural communities that historically have been underserved, with critical broadband connectivity, and look forward to a continued partnership to expand these critical deployments.”
Mercury Broadband is one of Airspan’s largest customers for its CBRS portfolio, Stonestrom added.
About Mercury Broadband
Mercury Broadband is a leading provider of high-speed Internet and digital phone services for homes and businesses across select rural markets in the Midwest. The company was founded in Topeka, KS., after recognizing a need for broadband services in these underserved markets. A hybrid approach to serving these “last mile” customers was developed by extending high-capacity fiber optic networks with the range, reliability, and flexibility of carrier-class wireless technologies to provide next generation services to customers. To learn more about Mercury Broadband services, please visit us at www.mercurybroadband.com.
About Airspan
Airspan Networks Holdings Inc. (NYSE American: MIMO) is a U.S.-based provider of groundbreaking, disruptive software and hardware for 5G networks, and a pioneer in end-to-end Open RAN solutions that provide interoperability with other vendors. As a result of innovative technology and significant R&D investments to build and expand 5G solutions, Airspan believes it is well-positioned with 5G indoor and outdoor, Open RAN, private networks for enterprise customers and industrial use applications, fixed wireless access (FWA), and CBRS solutions to help mobile network operators of all sizes deploy their networks of the future, today. With over one million cells shipped to 1,000 customers in more than 100 countries, Airspan has global scale. For more information, visit www.airspan.com.
