What Is CBRS? A Plain-Language Guide to Band 48
CBRS lets any enterprise build a private LTE or 5G network without buying a licensed spectrum license. Here's what it is, how the three-tier system works, and when it beats WiFi.
CBRS — the Citizens Broadband Radio Service — is a slice of wireless spectrum any organization can use to run its own private LTE or 5G network.
Until recently, cellular-grade networking meant two options: use a carrier's public network, or buy a licensed spectrum license for millions of dollars. CBRS opens a middle path. Enterprises can deploy their own private cellular network over shared spectrum, with the same reliability and coverage cellular is known for — without the carrier lock-in or the license price tag.
150 MHz
Of shared spectrum in Band 48 (3.5 GHz) — enough for a full private LTE network
0
Licensing auctions required to deploy — approval comes from the SAS, in minutes
What CBRS Actually Is
CBRS stands for the Citizens Broadband Radio Service — a band of shared wireless spectrum in the US, officially Band 48, running in the 3.5 GHz range (3.55–3.7 GHz to be exact).
What makes it important is that it's shared spectrum. Instead of one carrier owning the whole band, access is coordinated dynamically so many organizations can use it — including private enterprises running their own networks. In plain terms: a factory can put up its own cellular radios and run a private LTE network over CBRS, just for its facility.
Think of it as the middle option that didn't exist before. You get cellular's strengths — predictable latency, seamless mobility, thousands of devices on one network, coverage that penetrates warehouses — without the two things that historically ruled it out for single facilities: expensive licensed spectrum and carrier dependency.
How It Works: The Three-Tier System
CBRS is shared, so it needs rules for who can use it when. That's the job of the three-tier system, managed by a piece of infrastructure called the SAS — the Spectrum Access System.
Tier 1 — Incumbent Access
The original users of the band: military radar and satellite ground stations. They have first claim on the spectrum, and everyone else must stay out of their way.
Tier 2 — Priority Access (PAL)
Licenses bought at auction, granting guaranteed use of specific channels for 10 years. Enterprises that want protection from interference can buy PALs, but they're not required.
Tier 3 — General Authorized Access (GAA)
The open tier. Anyone can use the spectrum as long as they register their radios with the SAS, which checks for conflicts with higher tiers and other GAA users. No license, no auction — approval comes in minutes.
The SAS is what makes sharing work. Every CBRS radio checks in with it, the SAS assigns frequencies that don't conflict, and if an incumbent needs the band (say, a military exercise), the SAS tells lower-priority users to move. For a private network inside a building, that coordination is transparent — the network simply keeps running on its assigned channel.
CBRS vs. Licensed Spectrum vs. WiFi
The three ways to run a wireless network in your facility, compared:
| Licensed Spectrum | CBRS (shared) | WiFi | |
|---|---|---|---|
| How you get it | Buy at auction, millions | Register with SAS, free | Unlicensed, free |
| Who controls it | Carrier or license holder | You (within shared rules) | You |
| Interference | None | Managed by SAS | Everyone on the band |
| Latency under load | Predictable | Predictable | Degrades with contention |
| Mobility / handoffs | Seamless | Seamless | Dropped connections |
| Cost to build | License + network | Network only | Access points only |
The trade-off: WiFi is the cheapest to stand up and is fine for general internet traffic. Licensed spectrum is the most controlled but unaffordable for most single facilities. CBRS sits between them — cellular-grade performance and control, without the license price.
What CBRS Enables: Private LTE and 5G
CBRS is spectrum — by itself it does nothing. What it enables is a private LTE or 5G network: your own cellular network inside a facility, built on the same technology carriers use for public networks but owned and controlled by you.
A private LTE network on CBRS gives you:
Dedicated coverage for your facility
One network covers the building, yard, and campus — no WiFi handoffs, no dead zones behind racking.
Capacity for thousands of devices
Cellular scheduling handles dense fleets — robots, sensors, scanners — without the airtime contention that breaks WiFi at scale.
Predictable latency
Consistent sub-50ms response for automation and safety-critical traffic — a requirement WiFi can't guarantee.
Your data stays on your network
Traffic stays inside the facility instead of riding a public carrier network — a real benefit for sensitive operations.
And because it's cellular, the same network can connect fixed equipment, mobile assets, and robots alike — one infrastructure for every device that needs connectivity.
Real Uses: Factory, Warehouse, Campus
CBRS private networks are running today where reliable, dense, low-latency connectivity matters more than general-purpose WiFi:
Warehouses and fulfillment centers
The classic use case. AMR and AGV fleets run on private LTE because WiFi can't hold sub-50ms latency at fleet density. CBRS provides the dedicated spectrum for it. See why WiFi fails for warehouse robotics →
Factories and industrial plants
Robotic arms, conveyor systems, and IoT sensors all ride one network with predictable latency. RF interference from machinery doesn't touch a scheduled cellular band the way it does WiFi.
Campuses and large sites
University campuses, corporate parks, and ports use CBRS to cover outdoor areas and buildings with seamless roaming — phones, vehicles, and fixed equipment on one network.
Is CBRS Right for Your Facility?
CBRS is a strong fit when you have a facility where WiFi is the bottleneck — robot fleets, device density, coverage gaps, or latency-sensitive operations. It's overkill if you're just providing general internet to an office.
If your organization is hitting any of the wireless limits this guide covers, the next step is a real evaluation: map what needs to connect, measure what the current network delivers, and model whether private LTE changes the math. That's a design conversation, not a product pitch — and it's where our Infrastructure as a Service work starts. We design, deploy, and manage private LTE networks on CBRS, end to end.
Related Resource
Why WiFi Fails for Warehouse Robotics
The practical deep-dive on handoff failures, dead zones, and airtime limits — and what private LTE does differently for AMR and AGV fleets.
Read the guide →Thinking About a Private LTE Network?
We design, deploy, and manage private LTE on CBRS for warehouses, factories, and campuses. Let's map what needs to connect and model whether private wireless changes the math for your facility.