2020/09/25
RuraLink Broadband Project Initiative
On December 12, 2019, the Company, through its wholly owned subsidiary RuraLink Wireless Inc. (“RuraLink”), and ARK Multicasting, Inc. (ARK) have entered into a Letter of Agreement that provides for the companies to collaborate with technical and market trials for a Wireless broadband ISP using a combination of radio frequencies including TV White Space (“TVWS”) technology in the 500 MHz bands, and 3.5 GHz CBRS spectrum, and 5.7 GHz UNII band spectrum. The Company has begun construction of a wireless broadband network located in Crockett Texas, the first of a proposed 130 regional rural networks throughout the US. ARK is a Low Power TV broadcaster with licenses in the US that cover over 44 million persons in the rural markets that the Company is planning to serve. Working in conjunction with Ruralink Broadband, Inc. (“RBI”), the Company’s operating partner serving the USA market, it has designed the network and organized its supply chain partners for infrastructure equipment and user terminals to support the business. RBI has also become a member of the Microsoft Airband Initiative that is supporting ISPs in providing broadband wireless internet access-services to the underserved regions of the U.S.
The parties will conduct a two-phase pilot program in Crockett, Texas to leverage the use of licensed TV broadcast spectrum with unlicensed TVWS radio spectrum to create an efficient and cost-effective solution providing wireless broadband (“last mile”) internet access in rural areas. Upon completion of successful trials, the Company will move to expand its footprint and regions served with its unique approach of the mixing of mature and disruptive technologies to serve these communities, such as those brought by ARK to deliver on the promise of true broadband internet connectivity to rural markets.
The next stage of the network installation will expand on the work that RBI has recently completed with the Microsoft Airband Initiative to test all aspects of inter-carrier interference between NextGen TV broadcast signals and those of the of TV White Space radio devices to be provided by the Company. The Company anticipates the completion of its initial market network deployment to begin commercial services in Crockett in the third quarter of 2020. Contending with the Covid 19 schedule disruption impacts has accounted for delays to date.