The combination of Starry’s innovative technology approach to pre-standard 5G with
Marvell’s 802.11ax chipsets, will drive the next generation of connected technologies;
Opening access to this technology will spur the development of a wider 5G technology ecosystem, speeding overall
technology development and innovation across the industry.
LAS VEGAS, Jan. 08, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Starry, Inc., a Boston-based technology company pioneering the use of millimeter waves for wireless last-mile gigabit broadband today announced a joint initiative with Marvell (NASDAQ:MRVL), a leader in storage, networking and connectivity semiconductor solutions, to make available a new set of fixed wireless technologies that they expect will power the future of connectivity for broadband access. The collaboration will bring together elements of Starry’s innovative millimeter wave, pre-standard 5G fixed wireless technology, specifically, Starry’s integrated circuit, smart-antenna technology, with Marvell’s expertise in 802.11ax technology. This new technology will be available for companies seeking to build the internet access networks of the future. Through this initiative, Starry will help accelerate the development of a pre-standard 5G technology ecosystem to meet the bandwidth and connectivity demands of the future.
Today, pre-standard 5G technology development is happening in silos with large, individual companies controlling the direction and pace of innovation and product development. The use cases of post-standard 5G remain under development, with mobile applications still years on the horizon and a 5G technical standard anticipated for 2020. However, today, the marketplace has recognized that the immediate-term and practical application of this next generation technology is the deployment of low-latency, high-capacity, fixed wireless broadband. Today, nearly 70% of the world’s mobile cellular, internet traffic is served via WiFi from fixed networks, making the deployment of new technologies that enable high-capacity fixed broadband networks even more critical. It is expected that this offloading will continue to be the most important element of the world’s wireless infrastructure due to its low cost and ubiquity.
The Starry and Marvell collaboration focuses on two key areas. The first initiative makes available the ‘blueprint’ or reference design for Starry’s cutting-edge millimeter wave, point-to-multipoint fixed broadband transceivers. This design incorporates Marvell’s 802.11ax chipsets with Starry’s millimeter wave integrated circuit, smart-antenna and cloud management software. This is the essential ‘blueprint’ for manufacturing transceivers that utilize millimeter wave spectrum to receive and deliver, on a point-to-multipoint basis, high-capacity internet to the home. The transceiver is the “last mile” to the premise, whether it is an apartment building or single family home. This unique point-to-multipoint transceiver technology was developed by Starry and is entirely unique and new to the market. Making this technology available more broadly in domestic and international markets, will help fixed wireless providers, of all sizes, dramatically improve scalability and deployment of their network, making ubiquitous broadband access closer to reality. And, for new market entrants, access to this technology will enable them to build an end-to-end wireless broadband access network, further expanding competition in the internet service provider sector.
The second area of collaboration between Starry and Marvell makes available a cloud-based Internet and WiFi Network Monitoring Platform that provides access to a high-quality, network and customer management monitoring technology. Platform users will be able to manage every node of the network and see network performance in real time, from base stations and receivers, to in-home WiFi hubs for end users subscribed to the service. This suite of technologies will be available to those companies using Starry’s transceiver technology to build or expand their networks, and to existing internet service providers or other types of broadband providers seeking software technology to manage their networks and subscribers, while also providing high-quality customer care and service. Together these two technology offerings represent a significant leap forward in making pre-standard 5G technology more broadly available to advance the development of next generation access networks outside of the typical incumbent footprint.
“When we started Starry, our goal from the beginning was to drive down the cost of deploying broadband, from the cost of equipment to speed of deployment. And we have been successful at achieving both,” said Chet Kanojia, CEO and co-founder of Starry. “The barrier to entry in the market today – whether domestic or global – is cost. That’s why you see so few people willing to challenge incumbent monopolies. We saw 5G as an opportunity for a new ecosystem of access technologies and products to emerge – but felt that it could only happen if the barrier to entry was low. By enabling low cost entry into the market, we are helping build the access networks of the future by enhancing market competition and increasing competition and choice in access technologies in the overall broadband market. It’s a win-win for consumers.”
“Marvell is pleased to collaborate with Starry, bringing together our deep expertise and investments in 802.11ax with Starry’s innovative millimeter wave technology to enable cost-effective, high-speed broadband services that dramatically reduce service rollout times and last mile costs,” said Mark Montierth, vice president and general manager of the Wireless Connectivity Business Unit at Marvell.
By making these pre-standard 5G technologies available, Starry is democratizing access to early 5G technologies that will ultimately boost the development and wide adoption of 5G hardware to serve this sector, creating manufacturing efficiencies and more rapid innovation cycles that will translate into more quickly expanding consumer broadband access. Both technologies are expected to be available beginning in mid-2018 and elements of these technologies are on display at Marvell’s suite at CES® 2018 from January 9-12.
Starry’s innovative millimeter wave, wireless broadband technology is currently deployed in Boston, Mass. Starry’s gigabit-capable, fixed wireless network is currently passing more than 240,000 homes in the Boston area and the company recently announced beta launches in Los Angeles and Washington, DC. Starry developed its entire technology stack in-house, from the network-node (Starry Beam), to the at-premise transceiver (Starry Point) and in-home WiFi hub (Starry Station). Backed by world-class investors including KKR, FirstMark Capital and Tiger Global, Starry is the first company to commercially deploy in the United States a point-to-multipoint, gigabit-capable fixed wireless network using millimeter wave spectrum.
Starry CEO and co-founder, Chet Kanojia, will speak about Starry at Citi’s Annual Global Technology, Media and Telecommunications (TMT) West Conference in Las Vegas on Wednesday, January 10 at 10:15 a.m. (PST). A live webcast of his fireside chat can be found here: http://www.veracast.com/webcasts/citigroup/tmt2018/24206234124.cfm.
For more information about this initiative, visit starry.com/starryone.
About Starry, Inc.
At Starry, Inc., we believe the future is wireless. Connecting people and things to high-speed, broadband internet should be simple, effortless and affordable. Starry is re-imagining broadband access by developing an ecosystem of products designed to simplify and improve your connected life. Using our proprietary pre-standard 5G millimeter wave technology millimeter, Starry is deploying a wireless ‘last mile’ gigabit-capable broadband network to deliver high-quality, affordable internet service to homes across the country. Based in Boston and New York City, Starry is backed by world-class investors and is growing. To learn more about Starry or join our team, visit: Starry.com.
About Marvell
Marvell first revolutionized the digital storage industry by moving information at speeds never thought possible. Today, that same breakthrough innovation remains at the heart of the company's storage, networking, and connectivity solutions. With leading intellectual property and deep system-level knowledge, Marvell's semiconductor solutions continue to transform the enterprise, cloud, automotive, industrial, and consumer markets. To learn more, visit: www.marvell.com.
Media Contact:
Virginia Lam Abrams
Starry, Inc.
vlam@starry.com
LaunchSquad for Starry, Inc.
starry@launchsquad.com
(212) 564-3665
Hanna Kang
Marvell Semiconductor, Inc.
pr@marvell.com