Partners Lindsay Broadband and Accelleran announced that Cogeco Communications is testing their LBSCS-A1-EA one-box small cell solution for LTE deployments over HFC networks with DOCSIS backhaul, in the context of a multi-vendor field trial on Cogeco’s network in the province of Quebec.
Lindsay Broadband and Accelleran have teamed to deliver a one-box platform comprising: an LTE small cell operating in the 3.5 GHz band (42); an industrial-hardened DOCSIS 3.1 modem; and a surge protected power supply system (wherein a 40-90 VAC cable plant input is converted to DC and PoE).
“Cogeco strives to provide an exceptional customer experience, and we are always looking for ways to increase our geographic reach and expansion into new telecommunication market segments,” commented Marie Ginette Lepage, vice president, Wireless Solutions and Innovation at Cogeco. “This exercise, done with Lindsay Broadband and Accelleran, is another step on our path towards entering the wireless market.”
The companies say the tested platform is generally intended for deployments in enterprise, public urban and suburban scenarios to complement macro coverage with additional focused capacity, or as a single layer, ultra-dense, small cell-only network.
For the field trial, Lindsay Broadband received the required certification from Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada (ISED) for use in Canada.
“Cogeco and Lindsay Broadband have had a working relationship since 1990, including the first Canadian strand-mounted DOCSIS Wi-Fi deployment in 2005. Lindsay’s extensive design and engineering experience in combination with Accelleran’s radio and software technology have resulted in the ability to quickly produce a technician-friendly, fast-to-deploy, HFC plant-powered small cell solution,” said David Atman, president of Lindsay Broadband.
Atman added, "Lindsay’s small cell power and backhaul gateway strategy has been providing a cost-effective solution for cable operators since 2015. The integration of the Accelleran radio allows operators to utilize existing infrastructure for new ROI in one housing.”
“We are very excited to see the result of this collaboration with Cogeco and Lindsay Broadband on a very focused LTE small cell deployment into a cable network which will enable fixed wireless and future mobile services to be delivered over an HFC infrastructure,” concluded Frédéric Van Durme, CEO of Accelleran. “In 2012, Accelleran set out to raise the quality bar in the small cell industry, and its small cell RAN/vRAN software solutions, E1000 Series products and new dRAX Open Interface RAN Intelligence show what we can do for the industry now with 4G, and before long, with 5G as well.”
For more information visit www.lindsaybb.com.