SUNNYVALE, CA--(Marketwired - Nov 15, 2017) - The Wireless Internet Service Providers Association (WISPA) and the CBRS Alliance have signed an agreement to cooperate closely in the advancement of the Citizens Broadband Radio Service (CBRS) spectrum band.

Under the new agreement, the organizations will work together to address technical challenges and business opportunities in the 3550-3700 MHz band.

Planned activities include collaboration on standards, testing, and certification of equipment; holding joint workshops and meetings; sharing roadmaps and planning schedules; and nominating members to sit on committees of mutual interest. The two groups aim to reduce redundant efforts, create better end products, and accelerate commercialization of the CBRS band.

"Members of WISPA and many other businesses and nonprofit organizations are making substantial investments in this band, and are strongly committed to further commercialization," said WISPA President Chuck Hogg. "The FCC's current policy framework is an excellent opportunity to bring state-of-the-art broadband services to unserved and under-served parts of America."

"We will continue to work, as we have for years, to gain access to under-utilized spectrum bands and make them available for all kinds of operators and innovative uses," Hogg added. "This agreement will help accelerate that process."

"More than 50 companies from a broad range of wireless industry sectors have joined the CBRS band," said Michael Peeters, president of the CBRS Alliance and head of innovation portfolio management at Nokia. "We're looking forward to exploring ways to coordinate our common interests in the CBRS band and maximize cooperation on services offered both by members of the Alliance and WISPA."

About WISPA
WISPA is a membership-driven trade association that promotes the development, advancement and unity of the fixed wireless internet service provider industry. More than 800 members in all 50 states support WISPA's advocacy, education, and other collaborative industry initiatives. For more information, visit www.wispa.org.

About CBRS Alliance
The CBRS Alliance believes that LTE-based solutions in the CBRS band, utilizing shared spectrum, can enable both in-building and outdoor coverage and capacity expansion at massive scale. In order to maximize CBRS' full potential, the CBRS Alliance aims to enable a robust ecosystem towards making LTE-based CBRS solutions available. The mission of the CBRS Alliance is to evangelize LTE-based CBRS technology, use cases and business opportunities while simultaneously driving technology developments necessary to fulfill the mission, including multi-operator LTE capabilities. The Alliance will also establish an effective product certification program for LTE equipment in the US 3.5 GHz band ensuring multi-vendor interoperability. For more information, please visit http://www.cbrsalliance.org and follow CBRS Alliance on LinkedIn and Twitter.