As the carrier steps up its C-Band rollout this year, Verizon Business has certified a Cradlepoint adapter to allow C-Band connectivity on its ultra-wideband network.

Businesses can create and manage dispersed wireless WANs using Cradlepoint’s W1850 5G Wideband Adapter, which is now available from Verizon. Wireless WANs can be used in hybrid work environments and can communicate with SD-WAN services provided by carriers. The W1850 Wideband Adapter for the mid-band serves bandwidth-intensive and latency-sensitive use cases like video, immersive, and collaborative applications.

The W1850 adapters include simultaneous dual connectivity with 4G LTE and are designed for deployment in low and mid-band 5G spectrum. T-Mobile US and AT&T have also certified the wideband adaptor, according to Cradlepoint’s website. The adapters are available for purchase online, along with subscriptions to Cradlepoint’s NetCloud software.

The Cradlepoint devices are available for $69 on Verizon’s 100 Mb/s plan and $99 on the 200 Mb/s plan. These rates include a NetCloud software subscription. Verizon plans to certify additional Cradlepoint devices at some point, according to a spokeswoman. The adaptor is being used by AT&T as part of its IoT program. According to an AT&T official, the W1850-5GB was certified as an LTE device on FirstNet last year.

UWB expansion

Verizon announced earlier this month that by the end of the year, their ultra-wideband 5G network, which uses both C-Band and very high mmWave spectrum, will cover 175 million people, up from 100 million at the end of January.

Verizon stated on Monday that it will expand its 5G ultra-wideband service to 30 additional locations this year, using at least 60 MHz of spectrum in some areas and up to 100 MHz in others.

Verizon highlighted the early approval of the C-band spectrum from satellite providers Intelsat and SES, which Verizon purchased in the Federal Communications Commission’s (FCC) C-Band auction in 2021, for the expansion of its ultra-wideband service. Previously, the C-Band spectrum from that auction was set to be distributed in December 2023.