Spectrum saving startup targets private wireless

Spectrum is the resource carriers spend billions to acquire and billions more to deploy, so clearly there is value in using it efficiently. Tech startup GenXComm recently raised a $20 million with the goal of hiring new talent to develop its private wireless business. Investors including Intel Capital, BMWi Ventures and Motive Communications are backing the company as it markets its solutions to carriers, with a particular focus on helping them deploy private networks. “We are able to do backhaul and access in the same frequency”, explained GenXComm co-founder and CTO Hardik Jain. “It is especially important for private cellular.” Jain explained enterprises deploying private networks cannot afford to lay fiber to support all their backhaul needs. He said they save time and money by installing gateways near their existing fiber access points, and using GenXComm mesh nodes to fill in coverage gaps. According to Jain, Wi-Fi mesh networks make sense because they can use both 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz spectrum, separating access from backhaul. The company uses photonics and other technologies to achieve interference cancellation, enabling one wireless channel to transmit and receive simultaneously. GenXComm’s hardware supports multiple spectrum bands, including CBRS. Jain said the startup has developed its own core network product and can use both Federated Wireless' and Google’s Spectrum Access Systems.