CBRS Broadband for Education and Remote Work
McAllen, Texas is a community with 140,000 residents and was hit especially hard
by the COVID-19 pandemic. With over 23,000 K-12 students, mainly in low-income neighborhoods, going to school remotely wasn’t an option, as many didn’t have access to internet connectivity. CARES Act funding was awarded to provide a CBRS network that blankets the city – deployment of a reliable, high-performance network was key, but the problem was the power source. Utilizing Solis Energy’s Light Pole Power Tap (LPT148), PoE was able to be drawn directly off of streetlights throughout the city, powering over 1,000 Cambium access points, making it possible for students and families to work from home.
THE CUSTOMER
The City of McAllen, TX
THE CHALLENGE
To quickly provide a reliable, high performance network for students to access remote schooling
THE SOLUTION
Solis Energy provided the Lightpole Power Tap: a rapidly-deployable power solution for streetlights
THE RESULTS
A successful network that gives the entire community access to internet connectivity