Ruralink Broadband, Inc., with the help of Japan Radio Co., Ltd. (JRC) and Raycom Ventures, Inc., has launched what it calls “hybrid broadcast-broadband internet” to rural communities in the Bend-Redmond area of central Oregon. The services are delivered via private LTE technology that utilizes Citizens Broadband Radio Service (CBRS) frequencies. The deployment is the first of what Ruralink expects will be a roll out of similar capabilities in more than 50 markets across the U.S.
The collaboration combines Ruralink’s expertise as a fixed-wireless broadband network service provider with the wireless know-how of radio equipment maker JRC and its strategic partner Raycom, which provides private 4G/5G offerings and radio deployment expertise, equipment, and software. Using multiple sectors on “a few” base stations, this first implementation covered Bend, OR and adjacent low-density communities to provide high-speed internet to homes and CBRS-enabled smartphones, according to Ruralink.
“This is the first important step to providing rural and underserved areas of North America with widely available, affordable broadband internet,” said Rami Mirsky, Raycom’s CEO. “Broadband connectivity has become a fundamental daily necessity, and we are here to fulfill this need and bring it to every home and business regardless of their geographical locatio
