Intel is asking the FCC for permission to conduct Citizens Broadband Radio Service (CBRS) 3.5 GHz tests on an Intel campus in Chandler, Arizona, using gear from Ruckus Wireless.
The application, which was filed on Thursday, seeks a 12-month duration. The purpose is to use CBRS equipment for research and development.
Intel is a member of the Wireless Innovation Forum, also known as the WInnForum, which was heavily involved in creating the foundation for CBRS. It’s also a founding member of the CBRS Alliance, whose mission is to evangelize the LTE-based OnGo brand for CBRS.
RELATED: Motorola anxiously awaits CBRS commercial deployment
The Spectrum Access System (SAS) and Environmental Sensing Capability (ESC) components essential for sharing in the band have undergone extensive testing, and the Initial Commercial Deployment (ICD) of CBRS was expected to be “just around the corner” for several months now.
Last month, the National Telecommunications & Information Administration (NTIA) announced that its engineering lab shared test results with the commercial entities that participated in spectrum sharing tests at the Institute for Telecommunication Sciences. The results, which Federated Wireless, Google and CommScope reportedly passed with flying colors, were expected to be part of the FCC’s final certification.
RELATED: Ruckus touts CBRS portfolio as commercial deployment nears
Meanwhile, stakeholders in the CBRS ecosystem are eager to go commercial with the General Authorized Access (GAA), or unlicensed, part of the band. Back in April, Ruckus announced the availability of its CBRS portfolio ahead of an expected summer deployment.
At the time, Ruckus said its equipment had been deployed in nearly 50 trials across a variety of enterprise verticals as well as with mobile network operators (MNOs), multiple system operators (MSOs), mobile virtual network operators (MVNOs) and neutral-host operators.