Mediacom Communications teamed with Samsung and Ericsson to deploy a fixed wireless access (FWA) service using CBRS spectrum, a move which will boost broadband options in rural and underserved areas of the US operator’s footprint.

A Mediacom Communications representative told Mobile World Live the service will have a peak download rate of 100Mb/s, while upload speeds will either be 10Mb/s or 20Mb/s depending on the area. It plans to launch later this year.

The cable company spent $29 million for 576 licences covering 178 counties in a CBRS spectrum auction in 2020. The band covers a frequency range from 3.5GHz to 3.7GHz.

Mediacom Communications is using Samsung’s CBRS 4G- and 5G-ready RAN offerings, offering an upgrade path to the next-generation technology in future.

In 2021, the operator announced it was working with Ericsson to launch an FWA service using the vendor’s 4G and 5G CBRS radio equipment, which the representative stated is still in use.