Ubicquia公司首席执行官伊恩亚伦表示，Ubicquia计划利用3000万美元的新资金，加快平台的开发和部署，这些平台插入路灯光电池插座，以提供灵活的智能城市、小电池和智能电网功能，这些功能通常不为公众所注意
. Aaron说，Ubicquia的Ubicell路灯控制器能够提供更高效的照明，其基础Ubimetro平台能够提供宽带连接，现已经100多个城市部署。
Ubicquia公司首席执行官伊恩?亚伦（Ian Aaron）表示，Ubicquia计划利用3000万美元的新资金，加快平台的开发和部署，这些平台插入路灯光电池插座，以提供灵活的智能城市、小电池和智能电网功能，这些功能通常不为公众所注意
“从智能城市到小电池再到智能电网，这是三个巨大的市场，对任何一家公司来说，这都是一个巨大的市场，”Aaron接受IWCE紧急通信公司采访时说。“我们恰好深入参与了这三个领域，我们创造了一些非常独特的产品，与市场上其他任何插入光电管插座的产品不同
Aaron说，Ubicquia的Ubicell路灯控制器能够提供更高效的照明，其基础Ubimetro平台能够提供宽带连接，现已经100多个城市部署。但最新的投资预计将帮助该公司扩大支持运营商LTE、私有LTE和未来5G部署的产品
亚伦说：“部分原因是加速了我们这个CBRS私有LTE（空间）中的小电池工作。”。“此外，我们不能谈论细节，但我们正与运营商合作，研究一些将加速5G的小电池解决方案。这是一个非常热门的话题，不仅对运营商，而且对政府来说，美国如何成为5G部署和技术的领军者？我们非常专注于这一领域发挥作用，因此我们这方面做了大量的开发工作。”
“我们正与几家主要的公用事业公司合作，开发我们的产品，监控架空变压器和电线杆，以加固电网，这已经成为一个非常重要的课题，基于PG E所面临的问题，加利福尼亚州的火灾，美国发生的所有飓风和龙卷风中，我们的产品都其中发挥作用，而这笔资金的目的是加快我们的工作，使这些产品更快地投放市场。”
亚伦说，拉斯维加斯市已经部署了支持3.5GHz CBRS技术的Ubicquia的Ubimetro，克拉克县学区正利用该解决方案为学生提供宽带连接
“我们拉斯维加斯一个被剥夺权利的地区设立了CBR，”Aaron说，这归功于拉斯维加斯市首席创新官MichaelSherwood的努力。“然后，他们的网络上，他们决定与克拉克县学区建立一个VPN。学区现正向学生提供带有拉斯维加斯CBRS SIM卡的Chromebook
“因此，无论他们哪里建立了CBR，学生们都可以获得宽带连接，并通过私人连接进入学校。所有这一切真正令人兴奋的是，这一切来得多么迅速。”
随着FCC最近完成了CBRS频谱优先接入许可证（PAL）的拍卖，Ubicquia官员相信CBRS部署将明年变得更加普遍，基于运营商的部署将2021年上半年开始
此外，Aaron对Ubicquia解决方案将由需要宽带连接以支持智能电网计划的公用事业公司部署表示乐观，该公司过去一年中应一家公用事业合作伙伴的要求开始采用该方案
Aaron说：“令人兴奋的是，我不知道现有哪家公用事业公司不谈论私有LTE，不管是带有Antrix的900 MHz频谱，还是CBRS，而且有许多公用事业公司（CBRS）PAL拍卖会上竞价。”
Aaron称，Ubicquia平台的一个关键优势是，它的设计允许公用事业公司或其他用户相对容易地从一个宽带解决方案迁移到另一个宽带解决方案
亚伦说：“想想我们的产品，就像一个插上电源并运行AT T网络上的路灯控制器一样简单，但从现起，这一实用工具一年后就会转换成他们自己的专用LTE网络。”。“我们可以通过空中传送，自动将路灯控制器从一个（运营商）网络转换为专用LTE网络。所以，他们不必花100美元或200美元回到北极。他们不需要交换模拟人生或设备
“想想一个公用事业公司电网中部署了一百万台设备，并两年后建立了自己的专用LTE网络。我们的产品能够通过空中自动转换从公共LTE到专用LTE网络。因此，我们正努力实现巨大的节约，更不用说我们提供的产品带来的所有运维（operation and maintenance）好处了
“这就是我们所有的产品，无论是我们的视频和edge AI（人工智能），无论是我们的路灯控制，还是我们的公用事业智能电网监控产品。我们所有的产品都能做到这一点，这就是为什么像Morgan O'Brien和Anterix这样的公司对我们的业务非常感兴趣。”
其中一些好处包括可以使用常规路灯安装人员部署Ubicquia平台，而不必雇佣具有无线工程专业知识的专业人员。Ubicquia设备被拧入路灯光电池中，使其能够接入电线杆，并且许多情况下利用沿街部署的光纤进行回程
亚伦说：“即使是我们的基于运营商的小型电池也可以由安装路灯的人部署。”。“这些是我们考虑的一些问题……以解决一些部署挑战，这些挑战具有实际成本
“当你不得不有不同类型的船员，仅仅是光纤和通信，成本就会上升。当你不得不把所有的附加设备电源接口和电能计量所有的成本上升。因此，当您查看总体拥有成本时，我们实际上只是传统小型电池的一小部分。”
此外，Ubicquia设备非常小，一个Ubicquia大约有一个Dixie杯子大小，位于路灯上方，因此，地方政府董事会面前关于解决方案的美学问题的许多冗长辩论通常可以完全避免
亚伦说：“小电池业务方面，我们所能做的任何事情都有助于缩短运营商和客户部署小型电池所需的时间。”。“问题不于技术，而于如何消除主许可协议、许可以及获得光纤的所有这些问题。我们做的事情有助于降低总成本和缩短部署时间
“无论你是私有LTE上与Antrix合作的公用事业公司，还是试图部署5G的运营商，这都是一个问题，我们有一些独特的产品来帮助解决这一问题。”
Ubicquia的Ubimetro支持700mhz频段14业务，并已通过FirstNet的使用认证，目前人们对公共安全解决方案以及其他智能城市计划“非常感兴趣”
他说：“我说过，智能城市已经试点炼狱中度过了10年；我们正改变这种状况。”
Aaron表示，Ubicquia的平台将“近期内”支持6GHz以下频段的5G业务，该公司也将支持毫米波5G，但这些产品“将非常有针对性地针对某些领域和特定的使用情况”
Fuel Venture Capital董事总经理Jeff Ransdell称，Ubicquia众多高增长市场领域的潜力是Fuel Venture Capital决定与现有Ubicquia投资伙伴一起参与本月宣布的3000万美元融资回合的关键原因
Ransdell接受IWCE紧急通讯部采访时说：“不需要太多努力就能对投资机会感到兴奋。”。“从投资角度来看，智能城市、5G以及伊恩和他的团队所做的一切正是我们试图依靠的
“就（育碧）目前的势头下，进入最近一轮确实是不费吹灰之力，因为我们认为，公司只会每一轮估值中获利，从现开始。”
Aaron还对Ubicquia的前景表示乐观
亚伦说：“我每天醒来，都有点掐自己。”。“当你帮助城市省钱、变得更聪明、更安全时，你醒来时就有了一种使命感。从这一点来看，这是令人兴奋的，因为你帮助别人。”
Ubicquia plans to leverage $30 million in new funding to accelerate the development and deployment of its platforms, which plug into streetlight photocell sockets to deliver flexible smart-city, small-cell and smart-grid functionality in form factors that are often inconspicuous to the public, according to CEO Ian Aaron.
“From smart city to small cell to smart grid, these are three enormous markets and could be a great business for any company in just one of them,” Aaron said during an interview with . “We happen to be deeply involved with all three, and we’ve created some very unique products that are differentiated from anything else on the market that plug into the photocell socket.
Ubicquia’s Ubicell streetlight controllers that enable more efficient lighting continue to gain traction, and its base Ubimetro platform that delivers broadband connectivity is now deployed in more than 100 cities, Aaron said. But the most recent investment is expected to help the company expand offerings that support carrier LTE, private LTE and future 5G deployments.
“Part of it is accelerating our small-cell work in this CBRS private LTE [space],” Aaron said. “Also, we can’t talk about details, but we’re working with carriers on some small-cell solutions that are going to accelerate 5G. That’s a very hot topic, not just for the carriers but for the administration—how does the U.S. become a leader in 5G deployments and technology? We’re very much focused in playing a role in that area, so we’ve got a lot of development work going there.”
“We’re working with several of the major utilities on our products that monitor the aerial transformers and utility poles for hardening the grid, which has become a very important topic, based on the issues that PG E has, the fires in California, and all of the hurricanes and tornadoes that have been going on in the U.S. Our products are playing a role in that, and this funding is all about accelerating our work in getting these products to market sooner.”
Aaron said that the city of Las Vegas has deployed Ubicquia’s Ubimetro that supports 3.5 GHz CBRS technology, and the solution is being leveraged by the Clark County School District to provide broadband connectivity to students.
“We put up the CBRS in a disenfranchised area in Las Vegas,” Aaron said, crediting the efforts of Michael Sherwood, the chief innovation officer for the city of Las Vegas. “Then, on their network, they decided to create a VPN with the Clark County school district. The school district is now giving Chromebooks that have the Las Vegas CBRS SIM in it to students.
“So, anywhere they have the CBRS up, the students can get broadband connectivity and have a private connection into their school. What was really exciting about all of this was how quickly it all came together.”
With the FCC recently completing its auction of priority access licenses (PAL) for CBRS spectrum, Ubicquia officials believes CBRS deployments will become more commonplace during the next year, with carrier-based deployments starting during the first half of 2021, Aaron said.
In addition, Aaron expressed optimism that Ubicquia solutions will be deployed by the utilities that require broadband connectivity to support smart-grid initiatives—a use case that the company began to pursue during the past year at the request of a utility partner.
“What’s exciting is that I don’t know of a utility that’s not talking about private LTE right now, whether it’s the 900 MHz spectrum with Anterix or whether it’s CBRS—and there were many utilities that actually bid in the [CBRS] PAL auction,” Aaron said.
One key advantage of the Ubicquia platform is that it is designed to allow a utility or other user to migrate relatively easily from one broadband solution to another, according to Aaron.
“Think of our product, as simple as a streetlight controller that plugs in and is running on AT T’s network, but the utility—a year from now—converts to their own private LTE network,” Aaron said. “We can, over the air, automatically convert that streetlight controller from one [carrier] network to the private LTE network. So, they don’t have to spend $100 or $200 going back up on the pole. They don’t have to swap out SIMs or equipment.
“Think about a utility deploying a million devices in the grid and, two years from now, putting up their own private LTE network. Our products have the ability to automatically convert—over the air—from the public LTE to the private LTE network. So, we have tremendous savings that we’re driving, not to mention all of the O M [operations and maintenance] benefits from the products that we’re delivering.
“And this is all of our products, whether it’s our video and edge AI [artificial intelligence], whether it’s our streetlight control, whether it’s our utility smart-grid monitoring products. All of our products have the ability to do that, which is why guys like Morgan O’Brien and Anterix are really interested in what we’re doing.”
Some of those benefits include the ability to use regular streetlight installation crews to deploy the Ubicquia platforms, instead of having to hire specialized personnel with wireless-engineering expertise. The Ubicquia equipment is screwed into the streetlight photo cell, which lets it access the power to the pole and—in many cases—leverage fiber that is deployed along the street for backhaul.
“Even our carrier-based small cell can be deployed by somebody who installs streetlights,” Aaron said. “Those are some of the things we looked at … to solve some of the deployment challenges, which have a real cost.
“When you have to have different types of crews that are just fiber and communications, the cost goes up. When you have to put all of the additional accoutrements—power interfaces and power metering—all of the costs go up. So, when you look at total cost of ownership, we are truly a fraction of what it is for a traditional small cell.”
In addition, the Ubicquia gear is so small—a Ubicell is about the size of a Dixie cup—and located atop a streetlight, so many of the lengthy debates before local government boards about the aesthetics of solutions often can be avoided entirely.
“On the small-cell business, anything we can do to shorten the amount of time it takes for carriers and for customers to deploy small cells [is helpful],” Aaron said. “It’s not the technology, it’s how do you eliminate the master licensing agreements, permitting and all of those issues—getting the fiber. We do things to help shrink the total cost and shorten the timeframe to deploy.
“Whether you’re a utility working with Anterix on private LTE or you’re a carrier trying to deploy 5G, it’s an issue, and we’ve got some unique products to help solve that.”
Ubicquia’s Ubimetro supports 700 MHz Band 14 operations and has been certified for use on FirstNet and that there is “tremendous interest right now” for public-safety solutions—as well as for other smart-cities initiatives, according to Aaron.
“I’ve said that smart cities has been in pilot purgatory for 10 years; we’re changing that,” he said.
Aaron said that Ubicquia’s platform will support 5G operations on sub-6 GHz spectrum “in the near term.” The company also will support millimeter-wave 5G, but those offerings are “going to be very targeted to certain areas and certain use cases.
Ubicquia’s potential in so many high-growth market sectors is a key reason why Fuel Venture Capital decided to participate with existing Ubicquia investment partners in the $30 million funding round announced this month, according to Jeff Ransdell, Fuel Venture Capital’s managing director.
“It doesn’t take a lot of effort to get excited about the investment opportunity,” Ransdell said during an interview with . “Smart cities, 5G and everything that goes along with what Ian and his team are doing is exactly what we are trying to lean in on, from an investment perspective.
“Just with the momentum that [Ubicquia] has right now, it was just really a no-brainer to come in at the most recent round, because we think that the company is just going to gain in valuation each and every round, from here on out.”
Aaron also expressed optimism about Ubicquia’s prospects.
“I wake up every day, and I kind of pinch myself,” Aaron said. “When you help cities save money, become smarter and stay safer, you wake up kind of with a mission. From that point, it’s exciting, based on what you’re doing to help people.” |
