Wright State University Foundation, altafiber, Nokia open 5G Test Lab at Emergence Center One

The Wright State University Foundation, altafiber, and Nokia are pleased to announce the opening of a 5G Test Lab at Emergence Center One located at 3070 Presidential Drive in Fairborn, Ohio.

Studio 5G will provide a hands-on environment to educate businesses about indoor and outdoor 4G and 5G technology, which enterprise organizations are increasingly using for their private networks to keep employees and devices connected in large buildings and open spaces. Private wireless 5G technology, like LTE, provides more coverage with greater reliability, deeper penetration with lower latency, and is more secure than typical Wi-Fi networks deployed today.

altafiber intends to use Studio 5G for validating customer-use cases without the extra time and expense of performing proof-of-concepts at customer locations. Use cases for this technology include the following:

• Providing seamless mobile connectivity between customer LAN Networks and end-user devices such as printers, scanners, and tablets.

• Providing cellular backhaul network to support Wi-Fi access points for large open areas such as parks or golf courses.

altafiber invested in CBRS Spectrum via the FCC auction in 2021. The company’s goal is to use these priority licenses to create business solutions for its Enterprise customer base. Priority licenses include the following counties in Ohio and Kentucky:

• Ohio – Butler, Clark, Clermont, Greene, Miami, Montgomery and Warren Counties.

• Kentucky – Boone, Campbell, Gallatin, Grant, Kenton and Pendleton Counties.

Emergence Center One is part of the Wright State University Foundation’s strategy to drive economic activity and growth in the Dayton region by connecting business with technology. R. Scott Rash, President & CEO of the Wright State University Foundation, said Studio 5G is an important step for Emergence Center One.

“The Foundation’s partnership with altafiber and Nokia around Studio 5G is a great example for why our Foundation building was rebranded as Emergence Center One in 2020. We needed to think differently about how to leverage the building in the face of a difficult commercial real estate market and, after numerous conversations with altafiber and a trip to Dallas to see Nokia’s test lab, the idea of creating a living, working lab around this technology in Emergence Center One became a reality with Studio 5G,” said Rash. “It is the ultimate win-win – we partner with two great companies in bringing an emerging technology to the Dayton region while also diversifying the Foundation’s support of Wright State’s strategic goals.”

altafiber’s partnership with the Wright State University Foundation is the company’s latest investment in Dayton. The company partners with multiple enterprise organizations in the Dayton region in verticals including Health Care, Logistics, and Manufacturing. altafiber also opened an office and retail location on Webster Street in 2022 to support its growing presence in the city.

“We appreciate the Wright State University Foundation’s vision to connect business with technology through Emergence Center One, and we are excited to partner with Nokia on the 5G Test Lab,” said Greg Wheeler, President – Business Markets, for altafiber. “This innovative space provides a tremendous opportunity to educate organizations on how 5G technology can support their strategic connectivity needs.”

“We are excited to support the Wright State University Foundation on this exciting project. The new 5G Test Lab will enable businesses to get a real understanding of how 5G can provide super-fast connectivity across a wide range of innovative use cases in both indoor and outdoor environments,” commented Ed Alfonso, Head of Americas at Nokia.

altafiber has a long history and progressive experience in providing/managing large and complex wireless solutions as a service. The company has significant experience in building and managing wireless networks; is the leading supplier of fiber-based services in Greater Cincinnati; and provides backhaul services to the majority of the cellular macro towers in the region.

About altafiber

Cincinnati Bell is now doing business as “altafiber” in Ohio, Kentucky, and Indiana. The Company delivers integrated communications solutions to residential and business customers over its fiber-optic network including high-speed internet, video, voice and data. The Company also provides service in Hawai’i under the brand Hawaiian Telcom. In addition, the Company’s enterprise customers across the United States and Canada rely on CBTS and OnX, wholly-owned subsidiaries, for efficient, scalable office communications systems and end-to-end IT solutions. For more information, please visit www.altafiber.com. The information on the Company’s website is not incorporated by reference in this press release.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20240220016060/en/