Quickline Communications is celebrating a technological first with its rural broadband provision.
The East Yorkshire provider, working in collaboration with US-telecoms specialist network-builder Mavenir, has delivered a 5G standalone cloud-based open radio access network solution.
The fixed wireless access service, operating under a Shared Access Spectrum licence, uses existing radio network infrastructure and masts to allow providers to speed up development of 5G through the open source nature of the technology. It means all internet and mobile phone providers will be able to compete on a level playing field, no matter their size, and deliver the government ambition to connect rural communities.
Quickline, which is moving from Hessle to an impressive new headquaerters at Albion Mills, Willerby, has been testing its own solution alongside a number of suppliers, for the past two years. With full confidence in the results, the company has now switched on its first mast, advancing ahead of its competitors, and demonstrating its ambitions to be technical leaders in this sector.
Ian Smith, Quickline’s chief technology officer, said the firm can now quickly bring high speed connectivity to rural communities. “We are very proud to be leading the way with this technology,” he said. “This is a UK first and firmly supports the government’s ambitions to provide gigabit capable connectivity to rural communities and to diversify the telecoms supply chain. As a result of being involved in the UK 5G testbed programme, we have developed and commercialised a 5G standalone, cloud-native OpenRAN network which utilises the N77 spectrum band as part of Ofcom’s Shared Access Spectrum licence.”
For the last two years, Quickline has been leading a £6 million project to boost rural connectivity in North Yorkshire as part of the Mobile Access North Yorkshire consortium, which successfully bid into the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport’s co-ordinated 5G Testbeds and Trials programme.
Mark Seward, director of fixed wireless access operations at Quickline, said: “This is a fantastic achievement for Quickline, bringing all technology partners together to create a network delivering a true cloud-native 5G SA Open RAN solution. Not only does this make us industry leading – it also brings superfast connectivity to our rural communities, bridging the gap between cities and rural villages. After all, that’s the reason Quickline exists. We thought big and we worked hard. Seeing Open RAN become a reality is a huge achievement for a great team.”
Quickline has seen rapid growth over the past year following a £500 million investment by Northleaf Capital Partners, following its acquisition. It allowed the company to accelerate plans to bring lightning fast broadband speeds to more than 500,000 homes and businesses in rural communities where a significant digital divide still remains.
Following an evaluation process, Quickline selected Mavenir as the key technology provider in developing a truly cloud-native open-RAN solution and bringing this into live service.
Mavenir is providing an end-to-end solution that is built with cloud-native principles and software-centric design, enabling faster time to market and a lower total cost of ownership, making a 5G network, based on an open system, an ideal choice for operators to serve rural communities.
Stefano Cantarelli, chief marketing officer at Mavenir, said: “Mavenir is excited to be part of the journey in building this advanced 5G standalone network based on an open system to serve remote areas of the nation. The availability of adequate broadband in rural regions is a challenge and we are pleased to see Quickline’s drive and initiative to provide high quality and reliable mobile broadband connectivity.”
