NextWave Unveils Private Network Offering in NYC

NextWave, a private network service provider, said Monday it’s launching wide-area 2.5 GHz network services in the New York metro area, which it will offer to companies building private networks. NextWave said it’s the biggest holder of 2.5 GHz licenses other than T-Mobile. The phase I network deployment covers much of Manhattan and the immediately surrounding boroughs, while “Phase II deployments will cover the entire New York metro area of approximately 15 million people by early 2023,” the company said. “While the private networking era is clearly here, industrial and enterprise users still must cope with both limited ecosystems and limited network coverage,” said CEO Frank Cassou: “Unlike other private networking options, the NextWave solution provides both wide-area coverage and the ability to utilize popular smartphones and other widely available mobile broadband devices.” NextWave said it plans launches in San Francisco, Los Angeles and Philadelphia by early next year. The spectrum would have been well-suited for T-Mobile, LightShed’s Walter Piecyk told investors. “We estimated T-Mobile should pay upwards of $2.5 billion for this asset, but T-Mobile has likely dug in its heels on price negotiations,” he said: “The new wrinkle is that NextWave is now putting this critical wireless asset to use, perhaps putting it out of T-Mobile’s reach for good. … T-Mobile will now have to hope that NextWave’s new network does not gain traction or that another buyer does not emerge.”