Zayo Group Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: ZAYO) says it will deploy centralized radio access network (C-RAN) connectivity in two major metropolitan areas for a customer described as "a major wireless carrier." Zayo did not elaborate on the customer's identity or on the metro markets involved.
Zayo says it will provide an "over the top" fronthaul infrastructure in one of the markets, which will involve the provision of additional fibers on existing paths to supplement the customer's existing network. In the second market, Zayo will initiate service for the carrier in a new cluster of sites via existing metro dark fiber assets.
The company expects increasing interest in C-RAN architectures to improve network performance and efficiency while reducing capital expenditures. If their supposition in correct, it will be good news for Zayo.
"C-RAN enables wireless carriers to cost-efficiently keep pace with the growing bandwidth demand of their customers," said Dave Jones, executive vice president, Dark Fiber Solutions at Zayo. "C-RAN, which requires a plentiful supply of dark fiber, is a prime example of second tenant economics for Zayo."
"Although 5G has not been fully defined, carriers are implementing solutions to densify their networks for 5G," added Jack Waters, Zayo CTO. "The migration toward dark fiber solutions, C-RAN, and small cells are foundational for the migration to 5G."
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