WASHINGTON, DC — ATIS and the CBRS Alliance today announced a successful collaboration that will enable Citizens Broadband Radio Service (CBRS) spectrum to be commercially deployed. The work took place in ATIS’ International Mobile Subscriber Identity (IMSI) Oversight Council (IOC) and has resulted in a solution to support the use of CBRS spectrum to aid in providing mobile connectivity service in locations such as stadiums, apartment buildings, malls and other large facilities – as well as for other uses as they evolve.
The IOC oversees the U.S. assignment of the limited IMSI resource, a critical 15-digit international identifier that allows for network roaming. Through the IOC, and in collaboration with CBRS Alliance, ATIS developed an innovative new IMSI code that is specifically allocated for use by CBRS spectrum operators. IOC will also begin administration of an IMSI Block Number (IBN), under the oversight of the IMSI Administrator, iconectiv. The IBN will be assigned to CBRS spectrum operators to support the implementation of network services. This work is essential for utilizing CBRS for LTE services while also advancing IoT applications.
“ATIS’ role in innovating with the IMSI code has made use of the CBRS spectrum now possible,” said ATIS President and CEO Susan Miller. “The result is that mobile connectivity is now more widely available — thanks to this collaborative effort with the CBRS Alliance.”
“We are quite pleased to see another important milestone achieved along the road to commercial deployment of LTE in the CBRS band,” said Chris Stark, Chairman, CBRS Alliance. “This joint decision ensures that the availability of IMSIs meets the innovative needs of the wireless industry through a user-friendly process for shared spectrum deployments. We are grateful to ATIS for collaborating with us to establish this advanced solution.”
“One of the most promising CBRS use cases is neutral host – allowing any venue that is open to the public to provide cost-effective LTE service to guests, regardless of their mobile network operator,” said Nokia’s Al Jette, who Chairs the CBRS Alliance Technical Work Group. “The Alliance has defined how neutral host services will work using shared CBRS spectrum, and this new IBN category acts as a catalyst to enable that framework.”
Additional information is available via www.atis.org/ioc.
About ATIS
As a leading technology and solutions development organization, the Alliance for Telecommunications Industry Solutions (ATIS) brings together the top global ICT companies to advance the industry’s business priorities. ATIS’ 150 member companies are currently working to address 5G, cybersecurity, robocall mitigation, IoT, artificial intelligence-enabled networks, the all-IP transition, network functions virtualization, smart cities, emergency services, network evolution, quality of service, billing support, operations, and much more. These priorities follow a fast-track development lifecycle – from design and innovation through standards, specifications, requirements, business use cases, software toolkits, open source solutions, and interoperability testing.
ATIS is accredited by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI). ATIS is the North American Organizational Partner for the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP), a founding Partner of the oneM2M global initiative, a member of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), as well as a member of the Inter-American Telecommunication Commission (CITEL). For more information, visit www.atis.org.
About CBRS Alliance
The CBRS Alliance believes that LTE-based solutions in the 3.5 GHz band, utilizing shared spectrum, can enable both in-building and outdoor coverage and capacity expansion at massive scale. In order to maximize the full potential of spectrum sharing, the CBRS Alliance enables a robust ecosystem through the management of the OnGo brand, and the OnGo Certification Program. For more information, visit www.cbrsalliance.org.
