- It has announced that the FreedomFi Gateway has been made available in public beta
- FreedomFi Gateway is a commodity, x86 network appliance that offers a straightforward, affordable path for anyone to build their own Private LTE or 5G network using open source software and small cell radios
FreedomFi, the open 5G start-up that helps anyone to build their own Private LTE or 5G network, has announced that the FreedomFi Gateway has been made available in public beta.
Cellular LTE networks offer superior range, reliability and security over Wi-Fi, but have historically required proprietary hardware from incumbent network equipment manufacturers. This makes them them too expensive to build and maintain if deployed at medium or small scale.
Boris Renski, co-founder and CEO at FreedomFi said,” The biggest benefit of 5G is not faster speed, but efficiencies unlocked through software-centric architecture. Coupled with open source and cloud-native design principles, software-driven 5G networks will have an order-of-magnitude lower OPEX. Ultimately, it is not about streaming videos faster and doing VR in select hotspots, but about connecting the next billion people in emerging geographies or matching Private 5G economics to that of Wi-Fi for the enterprise use cases.”
The company said that FreedomFi Gateway is a commodity, x86 network appliance that offers a straightforward, affordable path for anyone to build their own Private LTE or 5G network using open source software and small cell radios.
Joey Padden, FreedomFi co-founder and CTO said, “The 5G small cell market will be growing at 40% for the next 5-7 years and we’ll see a lot of competition and innovation. The last thing you want to do is tie the destiny of your entire cellular network to the roadmap of a single radio vendor. FreedomFi Gateway makes it possible to build your Private LTE or 5G network on your terms, remaining vendor-agnostic and staying in control of the roadmap for your network architecture.”
Building open source software code as part of the Magma project
FreedomFi offers a couple of options for people to get started with open source private cellular through their website and pledges that all proceeds will be reinvested towards building open source software code as part of the Magma project. Sponsors contributing $300 towards the project will receive a beta FreedomFi gateway and limited, free access to CBRS spectrum. Those contributing at $1,000 dollars, will get support with a “network up” guarantee, offering FreedomFi guidance over a series of Zoom sessions.
Dave Bangert, president at WiConnect Wireless said, “We operate hundreds of towers, providing fixed wireless access in rural areas of Wisconsin. We were always keen on expanding our LTE internet service, but weary of lock-in issues associated with using a proprietary network core as well as the monthly recurring costs associated with most LTE platforms. We are now partnering with FreedomFi to expand our LTE network using open source and are excited to start rolling out the service to our customers.”
