The city of McAllen, Texas took control of their future. They invested in providing citywide broadband for all their students. With a total population of 150,000, community leaders wanted to provide a permanent, self-sustaining solution that will serve young people for years to come. Students should no longer need to go out at night to fast food locations or parks to connect to Wi-Fi to do their homework.
There were no templates to follow for a solution using newly available spectrum to cover an entire city. Such a project could not be done by any one interest group. The solution is the product of a collaboration of the following groups:
- Office of the Mayor, Jim Darling
- School District Superintendent, Dr. J. A. Gonzalez, Ed.D.
- Federated Wireless, a leader in shared spectrum management
- Frontera Consulting Founder Drew Lentz, a Wireless Connectivity Hero award winner
- Cambium Networks
The solution uses shared spectrum CBRS technology to take advantage of clean RF spectrum, which will yield the highest possible throughput capacity. Spectrum management is provided by Federated Wireless, and the wireless CBRS infrastructure is achieved with our PMP 450m with massive MU-MIMO technology. Dozens of base stations connect 1,000 Cambium subscriber modules equipped with cnPilot™ e700 outdoor Wi-Fi access points deployed throughout the city. The network is provisioned and monitored by the cnMaestro™ cloud-based management system.
As a result of their efforts, McAllen now provides technology that will enable their children to be competitive on a global stage. Their young people now have the opportunity to excel in their education and gain the social benefits of being connected. They gain experience and confidence by producing their best work online and sharing information and ideas.
We congratulate the leaders of the city of McAllen on providing their children the best possible opportunity for the future.