Across the country, from Capitol Hill to rural communities to inner cities and corporate boardrooms, Americans are having important conversations to help address broadband connectivity and prioritize getting all Americans online. The COVID-19 pandemic has shown just how connectivity is critical to the success of people and businesses across the country, and Washington’s focus on broadband access is important and encouraging. At Ligado, we are taking steps to help achieve this goal and do our part in delivering advanced connectivity solutions for American businesses to compete nationally and globally.

Last week, Ligado announced our partnership with Rakuten Mobile to collaborate on a 5G mobile private network solution for enterprise customers in the United States – particularly, the critical infrastructure companies that make up America’s backbone. This was a big day for Ligado, as we are taking a major step to deploy our mid-band spectrum in 5G public and private networks in the U.S. But it’s an even bigger day for the country, as the United States will be one step closer to accelerating 5G deployment for American businesses and solidifying U.S. global technology leadership.

Connectivity that is reliable and secure is no longer a nice-to-have for U.S. businesses – it is a need-to-have. The problem, however, is that industries are still largely operating on a disparate set of network and IT systems, utilizing outdated technology. America’s critical infrastructure companies need an upgrade, and they need it now.

At Ligado, we believe mobile private networks hold a tremendous opportunity for advancement, from both a technological and a business perspective. We also believe deeply in the power of 5G beyond faster speeds for smartphones. And we think Ligado’s mobile communications capabilities – combined with a global technology company like Rakuten Mobile and its pioneering communications platform, RCP – can showcase the kind of innovation and technology that can deliver a turnkey connectivity solution to American manufacturers, hospitals, utilities, and transportation companies that keep our Nation running.

Working together, we will create a blueprint for 5G mobile private networks in the U.S. and enterprise services that will give American businesses the scale of a public network and the security and customization of a private one. The two companies are also advancing and broadening the adoption of O-RAN technology, which is crucial to maintaining U.S. global technology leadership and strengthening the supply chain of trusted next-generation mobile network vendors.

This vision to deliver innovative 5G solutions to American enterprises is an important first step, and we’re thrilled to advance commercialization efforts in the industry’s ecosystem in the U.S. for the Ligado spectrum band. We’re excited to get to work!