Private LTE and Cellular IoT adoption encouraged in license-free bands through Ubiik's introduction of freeRAN.net
Ubiik, a leading provider of private LTE networks, has unveiled freeRAN™, a groundbreaking private LTE base station designed for industrial and utility applications. The new solution is aimed at supporting the growing Internet of Things (IoT) market, with a focus on the 915 MHz unlicensed band (902-928MHz or a subset, depending on the region).
The key advantage of freeRAN™ is its cost-effectiveness, as it utilizes the Industrial, Scientific and Medical (ISM) band, thereby removing one of the major barriers to entry of deploying a private LTE network - cost.
The new website, [www.freeRAN.net](http://www.freeRAN.net), outlines the ideal use cases for freeRAN™, which offers several advantages over other unlicensed band technologies like LoRaWAN, Wi-SUN, and Wi-Fi HaLow.
Firstly, freeRAN™ provides higher data rates and bandwidth, with LTE technology offering superior throughput capabilities compared to its counterparts, which are designed for low-power, low-data-rate IoT applications. While Wi-Fi HaLow can offer reasonable data rates, private LTE typically delivers more consistent and better-managed bandwidth for a variety of applications.
Secondly, freeRAN™ boasts better Quality of Service (QoS) and reliability, thanks to LTE's sophisticated QoS mechanisms that enable prioritization of critical traffic and more reliable communications. In contrast, LoRaWAN and Wi-SUN lack the advanced QoS controls inherent in LTE.
Thirdly, LTE networks have mature, well-established protocols and infrastructure for device management, handover, security, and scalability, making private LTE networks easier to scale and manage compared to less standardized unlicensed technologies.
Fourthly, freeRAN™ features more robust security features, with built-in strong encryption and authentication mechanisms that usually surpass the security offerings of LoRaWAN, Wi-SUN, and early Wi-Fi HaLow implementations.
Fifthly, freeRAN™ offers better mobility support, as it is designed for mobile environments and supports seamless handovers as devices move between base stations, an advantage over LoRaWAN and similar technologies which are mostly optimized for static or low-mobility devices.
Sixthly, LTE’s use of advanced modulation and multiple access schemes enables more efficient use of spectrum, which is beneficial in unlicensed bands where interference and spectrum sharing are challenges.
FreeRAN™ can be deployed quickly, as it can be mounted on existing infrastructure, and includes a Network Management System (goNMS) for easy setup and management. An embedded EPC (core network) further lowers costs compared to high-end, macro-LTE solutions.
The higher throughput offered by freeRAN™ provides an ideal solution for combining a primary low-power application (i.e., meters, asset trackers, sensors - leveraging eDRX from LTE-M) with additional use cases such as security cameras or a private, secure voice/data network for your team, all within the same network and with a single core.
GoNMS can be hosted either on-premise or in the cloud to suit user requirements. Comparatively, freeRAN™ offers better throughput (with either Cat-1 or Cat-M1), security (with SIM authentication and encryption), and the ability to roam to public networks for resiliency, compared to technologies which have traditionally been used in the unlicensed bands.
Ubiik is inviting interested parties to sign up for a demo at freeRAN.net or visit their booths in June, firstly at Comms Connect NZ followed by UTC T&T 2025. freeRAN™ is designed for Utilities, Mining, Oil & Gas, Transport, and Construction industries, allowing users to boost visibility over their operations by connecting thousands of devices simultaneously.
Ubiik continues to push the boundaries of connectivity to empower businesses with scalable, secure, and cost-effective solutions. The new website, freeRAN.net, promotes the use of private LTE and cellular IoT in license-free bands.
- The new private LTE base station, freeRAN™, from Ubiik, operates in the 915 MHz unlicensed band, targeting the growing IoT market, especially within industries like Utilities, Mining, Oil & Gas, Transport, and Construction.
- One of the key benefits of freeRAN™ is its cost-effectiveness, as it utilizes the Industrial, Scientific and Medical (ISM) band, thereby providing an affordable option for deploying a private LTE network compared to other unlicensed band technologies.
- freeRAN™ is designed to offer higher data rates and bandwidth compared to other unlicensed band technologies like LoRaWAN, Wi-SUN, and Wi-Fi HaLow, as it leverages the superior throughput capabilities of LTE.
- In addition to higher data rates, freeRAN™ also provides better Quality of Service (QoS) and reliability due to LTE's sophisticated QoS mechanisms, which offer prioritization of critical traffic and more reliable communications.
