Citizens Broadband Radio Service (CBRS) is a 150 MHz wide broadcast band of the 3.5 GHz band (3550 MHz to 3700 MHz) in the United States.
The Federal Communications Commission has allocated a region of the radio-frequency spectrum ranging from 3.5GHz to 3.7GHz for sharing among three categories of users: incumbent users, priority licensees, and generally permitted, which is sparsely licensed. FCC first acted on the CBRS band in 2012, although the band has gained traction in recent years. For cellular and cable providers, as well as other new entrants, this band is an ideal complement to their mid-band 5G spectrum inventory.
CBRS spectrum has traditionally been reserved primarily for the Department of Defense, which utilizes it for US Navy radar activities, including ship-borne radar that operates mostly offshore. The Navy will continue to enjoy priority access to the band as an existing licensee. While the Navy will be safeguarded from interference, the FCC has permitted the sharing of unused spectrum in the band.
The CBRS band's licensing is a neither exclusive nor fully unlicensed spectrum.
Instead, the FCC took a hybrid approach to the spectrum, combining licensed and unlicensed elements in a new sharing system.
CBRS is allowing businesses to construct their own private 4G/5G networks, which is resulting in enhanced 4G/5G offerings from service providers. While the Citizens Broadband Radio Service (CBRS) spectrum will aid U.S. cellular carriers in better managing traffic on their networks, it will also open the door to plenty of new entrants as neutral-host providers, cable and internet providers, and businesses seek to manage their own wireless devices and traffic.

The incumbent government and satellite users, as well as broadband wireless subscribers (until late 2020), make up Tier 1.

Tier 2 Priority Access Licenses (PAL)will have access to 70 megahertz of the total 150 megahertz available through a competitive bidding process.

What is SAS?

A Spectrum Access System (SAS) is used to manage and assign spectrum across these three tiers of access on a dynamic, as-needed basis. SAS will guarantee that every CBRS radio, also known as a CBSD, transmitting in this band follows FCC Part 96 spectrum sharing guidelines. The SAS will be connected to a network of sensors called Environmental Sensing Capability to defend against interference with Navy radar (ESC). The ESC network will keep an eye out for Navy radar activity and notify the SAS if it discovers anything. The SAS will coordinate the CBSD transmission levels and channels in such an occurrence to guarantee that no adverse interference occurs.

Why CBRS?

• Enhanced Performance
  A dedicated, private wireless network provides faster speeds and allows you to connect a higher number of devices. It may be used indoors or outdoors, and it works in conjunction with wi-fi and tiny cell coverage
• Security
  Enterprises will have control over which devices have network access. This protects your data safe and secure from outside threats.
• Scalability
  CBRS is versatile enough to handle numerous wireless carriers as well as specialized private networks when used as part of a neutral host solution. This gives you the flexibility to scale your network as needed.
• Additional flexibility
  Customizing network to meet requirements is possible now The CBRS spectrum is available to any organization, allowing you to build the network you need. This allows you to prioritize requirements such as latency, speed, capacity, and dependability, allowing you to get more out of your wireless network.

CBRS Opportunities

The majority of mobile applications accessible on cellular devices today are effective because they employ LTE &5G technology, which, among other things, provides far quicker speeds than prior generations of cellular technology. Because CBRS spectrum will also utilize LTE technology/5G, it will be able to provide genuine mobility, as well as greater security and service quality than unlicensed Wi-Fi networks.
It's quite simple to get into Wi-Fi gateways, but CBRS adds further levels of protection.
CBRS use cases come from a diverse range of industries, including:

CBRS Use Cases

CBRS is going to play a significant role across numerous industry sectors, not only the mobile sector, which is a notable characteristic of its possible use cases. CBRS is expected to be an important spectrum platform for DAS operators, fixed wireless internet service providers (WISPs), and cable operators, according to experts. While many anticipate mobile operators using CBRS to increase small cell capacity for mobile LTE, other service providers, such as cable and WISPs, are expected to leverage CBRS to improve last-mile and access solutions, frequently via fixed wireless infrastructure.

• MNOs
  Mobile network operators may acquire a cost-effective option for extending their networks with CBRS. They are also expanding their 5G networks in terms of capacity and coverage. Furthermore, CBRS gives Compared to other unlicensed mobile solutions, the coverage for both indoor and outdoor mobile solutions is superior. 5 GHz, for example. Base stations that use CBRS can provide a better level of network quality management avoiding the issues of sharing the band with Wi-Fi with LTE-based solutions Existing macro networks are seeing increased demands on network capacity as data consumption for both consumer and machine communications grows. Carriers are likely to move fast in the CBRS market in order to meet their capacity needs. CBRS allows these carriers to unload network traffic onto local CBRS networks, resulting in less congestion and higher data rates for both offloaded traffic and traffic that remains on the macro network. This improves the service quality for all consumers.
• Private Networks
  CBRS provides a more secure connection than Wi-Fi and at the high speeds and quality of an LTE wireless network for large enterprises that require a closed or private corporate wireless network. Whether conducting business in a lofty office building, a college campus, or a vast convention Center, CBRS technologies enable local private LTE networks to be built at remote sites (for example, in the mining sector). Designed for the entire business, whether it's inside or outside. Facilities that serve the public as well as back-of-house activities, both of which require maintenance. A CBRS arrangement might help with communication capability.
• Multiple Service Operators (MSOs)
  CBRS is a sensible traffic offload solution for cable operators looking to build out an LTE & 5G network. MSOs can use a Mobile Virtual Network Operator (MVNO) approach to enter the mobile wireless business. They can benefit from CBRS solutions by lowering costs by deploying MSO-owned small cell networks, merging existing networks to provide optimal coverage and capacity, and using mobile network operators in need of densification.
• Newcomers to the Competition
  CBRS has caught the interest of industrial and manufacturing enterprises in addition to the carrier use case.
  To enable the growing number of internet of things (IoT) applications that use sensors and beacons data on machine activities in factories and other automated systems is regularly sent to a command-and-control center to govern the distribution, a local, secure, dedicated wireless network is used.
  The safe, cost-effective, and efficient operation of IoT-connected equipment will need the collection and analysis of machine data. Cable operators, neutral-host providers, businesses, and even utilities are allowed to access the CBRS space.
  

Conclusion

CBRS spectrum will give rise to new network providers, spectrum sharing systems, and a new ecosystem of devices. While mobile providers are expected to be the first to market with offloading capabilities, the industry will see a slew of new entrants.
Smaller businesses will be able to purchase infrastructure as a service from neutral-host providers. Larger businesses will be able to build their own private LTE networks, which will allow them to realize operational benefits.
As the market evolves network deployments will motivate early adopters to innovate new methods to connect, whether through data or voice, that were not anticipated at the start of the industry.