Aristotle Unified Communications Taps Cambium Networks to Bridge Digital Divide

Cambium Networks, a global provider of wireless networking solutions, will power efforts to deliver affordable wireless broadband access in Arkansas and quickly bridge the digital divide.

Cambium Networks will provide licensed microwave backhaul and fixed wireless access systems to Aristotle Unified Communications to deliver up to 100 Mbps wireless broadband internet access to several underserved regions in Arkansas at a fraction of the time of laying fiber. The project is critical to improving the state’s bottom-10 ranking in internet connectivity as reported in a U.S. News & World Report study.

Aristotle, which recently secured $30.9 million in CARES Act funding through the Arkansas Rural Connect program, deployed Cambium Networks’ PTP 850 licensed microwave backhaul and PMP 450m point-to-multipoint access systems to expand access to residents, businesses, and schools across nine counties in the Arkansas Delta. Aristotle is managing the network with Cambium Networks’ cnMaestro™ cloud-based management system. This deployment will deliver affordable internet access to several rural areas in Arkansas that previously lacked broadband access and have been historically overlooked by large broadband providers.

“Aristotle utilizes both fiber and wireless technologies, and we know that deploying fiber across nine counties to connect 100,000 homes would take several years to complete. This is also a non-starter due to the cost of running fiber throughout such an expansive area,” said Elizabeth Bowles, CEO of Aristotle Unified Communications. “A hybrid model that leverages fiber infrastructure by adding fixed wireless technology gives us the opportunity to extend the reach of that fiber infrastructure and to eliminate the digital divide more quickly. People who are underserved need connectivity right now, not ten years, five years, or even three years from now. With Cambium Networks’ wireless equipment, we can rapidly bring the significant economic and social benefits offered by broadband connectivity to underserved communities and rural areas in Arkansas.”

“Aristotle Unified Communications has a successful track record of bringing broadband connectivity to communities with wireless technology,” said Atul Bhatnagar, president and CEO of Cambium Networks. “No single technology fits all applications. Aristotle is able to rapidly and easily deploy backhaul infrastructure and wide area distribution solutions from our wireless fabric portfolio of solutions to rapidly meet the state’s demand for advanced connectivity. Centralized cloud management gives them the ability to efficiently manage performance with a unified view of the entire statewide network.”

Cambium Networks’ full wireless fabric portfolio of solutions are available through its global network of partners.