REDMOND, Wash., July 2, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- On Monday,
RADWIN and Microsoft Corp. announced a new strategic partnership to
address the rural broadband gap. RADWIN, a world leader in
delivering high-performance broadband wireless access solutions,
will be developing and introducing to the market TV White Space
solutions to deliver broadband internet to unserved communities.
Focused on introducing innovative technologies into the TV White
Space market, the partnership will expand the TV White Space
ecosystem, making broadband more affordable and accessible for
customers in the rural U.S. and around the world. This partnership
is part of Microsoft's Airband Initiative, which aims to expand
broadband coverage using a mixture of technologies including TV
White Space.
Broadband is a vital part of 21st century infrastructure. Yet,
only about half of the world's population is connected to the
internet. New cloud services and other technologies make broadband
connectivity a necessity to starting and growing small businesses
and taking advantage of advances in agriculture, telemedicine and
education. According to findings by the Boston Consulting Group, a
connectivity model that uses a combination of technologies,
including TV White Space, can reduce the cost of extending
broadband coverage in rural communities. TV White Space is an
important part of the solution, creating broadband connections in
UHF bands and enabling communication in challenging rural terrains
and highly vegetated areas, all while protecting broadcasters and
other licensees from harmful interference.
"The TV White Space radio ecosystem is rapidly growing, and we
are excited to work with RADWIN to bring innovative technologies to
market at a global scale," said Paul
Garnett, senior director of the Microsoft Airband
Initiative. "Our partnership with RADWIN, a recognized global
leader in fixed wireless broadband access, will help address the
rural broadband gap for residents and businesses, enabling farmers,
healthcare professionals, educators, business leaders and others to
fully participate in the digital economy."
"RADWIN is a leading provider of broadband access solutions,
enabling service providers globally to connect unserved and
underserved homes and businesses," said Sharon Sher, RADWIN's president and CEO. "We are
therefore very excited to be Microsoft's partner in leading a
global effort to connect rural communities and grow the TVWS
ecosystem in the U.S. and around the world. The addition of
innovative TV White Space solutions to RADWIN's portfolio, which
complements our sub-6GHz and mmWave fixed wireless offering, would
enable our service provider customers and partners to extend their
footprint by connecting more remote subscribers in challenging
deployment use cases, penetrating through terrain obstructions and
vegetation, and therefore helping to close the digital divide."
In addition to the partnerships with companies like RADWIN,
Microsoft's Airband Initiative invests in partnerships with
internet service providers (ISPs) and other telecommunications
companies, introduces innovative solutions for rural connectivity,
and provides digital skills training for people in newly connected
communities. RADWIN and Microsoft will be introducing the
innovative TV White Space solutions to these Airband Initiative
partners, as well as to the global telecommunications industry,
during the second half of 2019.
About RADWIN
RADWIN is a leading provider of broadband wireless solutions.
Deployed in over 150 countries, RADWIN's solutions power
applications including fixed wireless access, backhaul, private
network connectivity, video surveillance transmission as well as
delivering broadband on the move for trains, vehicles and vessels.
RADWIN's solutions are adopted and deployed by tier 1 service
providers globally as well as by large corporations.
About Microsoft
Microsoft (Nasdaq "MSFT" @microsoft) enables digital
transformation for the era of an intelligent cloud and an
intelligent edge. Its mission is to empower every person and every
organization on the planet to achieve more.
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SOURCE Microsoft Corp.