Enabling cellular coverage in areas that cannot be covered profitably with existing technology: Vanu Inc.

Vanu, Inc. creates solution for places that don’t have good coverage today. Every operator would like to color in the whole coverage map, and the only reason they do not is that current technology does not make it cost effective to provide coverage in many areas such as inside of buildings, in rural areas, in tunnels, and on ships. Vanu’s solutions combine technology and business model innovation to reduce the total cost of ownership of wireless networks. The Vanu innovative solution enables profitable cellular coverage in areas that cannot be covered with existing technology. Vanu is headquartered in Lexington, MA with two offices in India located in Gurgaon and Bangalore as well an office in Rwanda, in Kigali, Rwanda.

The Genesis of Vanu

The company grew out of groundbreaking research in software radio at MIT and was founded in 1998. Vanu is the developer of the Anywave^® Base Station. Anywave was the first commercial Radio Access Network (RAN) product to simultaneously support multiple cellular radio standards on the same platform and the first U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC)-certified software radio. In addition, it is the first Radio Access Network (RAN) product to simultaneously support multiple cellular radio standards on the same platform. Vanu’s software RAN solutions are developed through the use of Software Defined Radio (SDR).

Traditionally, wireless infrastructure manufacturers have developed single-standard, high-power, high-capacity networks to address cellular coverage needs. These dedicated networks require a large financial investment that took a long time to generate positive returns on that initial investment. As new technologies emerged, so did the need for investment to build a new radio access network (RAN) to support each additional standard.

Vanu, Inc. developed the first commercially available software radio access network (RAN) that lets wireless carriers operate multiple standards simultaneously on a single platform. That means GSM, CDMA, iDEN and more.. all operating simultaneously from a single base station.

Vanu’s software RAN solutions have the ability to transform the wireless infrastructure industry in the same fashion the PC changed the computer industry. For decades, computers were a vertically integrated industry where a single vendor provided an end-to-end solution that included all components – processor, motherboard, operating system, and applications. Over time, the industry has transformed into a horizontal framework for customers to purchase each of these components from multiple vendors.

In the wireless infrastructure industry, a vertically integrated single vendor solution that included the BTS, BSC, baseband, RF head and antenna subsystems was the only choice. Through the utilization of Vanu’s software RAN solutions, an operator now has the freedom to choose how they want to do business with their vendor partners based on the best fit for their business needs. This could be purchasing an end-to-end solution from a single vendor acting as a systems integrator, purchasing each component separately from the vendor of their choice in order to build a best-in-class RAN, or any option in between.

Reducing Total Cost of Ownership

The primary barrier for creating new coverage is the operating cost of the network, not the capital cost. For example, in rural areas, the revenue per cell site is lower and the cost of operating the network is often higher due to the need for diesel generators for off-grid sites. Similarly, the cost of the building lease and connectivity for in-building coverage solutions is often greater than the incremental revenue potential from in-building traffic. By combining innovations in technology, network architecture and business model, Vanu creates comprehensive solutions that enable operators to cost-effectively cover areas that they have not been able to address to date.

Phenomenal Products

Vanu’s products are designed to enable cellular coverage in areas that cannot be covered profitably with existing technology. As average revenue per customer user (ARPU) continues to decline, operators reduce costs to remain competitive. Vanu’s products allow carriers to reach customers in new places, both within and outside of their existing coverage areas or through branching out to under/unserved markets.

Vanu’s software RAN solutions portfolio is designed to help operators reduce both CAPEX and OPEX expenditures in order reduce the total cost of ownership. Read more about how Vanu can help to reduce total cost of ownership with our three solution sets – Anywave, CompactRAN Community Connect, and In-Building Solution.

The Visionary

Vanu Bose, President, and CEO: Dr. Bose is CEO of Vanu, Inc. Founded in 1998; Vanu, Inc. pioneered the commercialization of software-defined radio and was the first company to receive FCC certification of a software-defined radio in 2004. The company has been the recipient of numerous awards including the Software-Defined Radio Forum Achievement Award, IEEE Spectrum Magazine’s Wireless Winner, and the GSM Association Technology Award for Most Innovative Infrastructure Product. Dr. Bose has been granted the personal distinctions of being named a World Economic Forum Technology Pioneer and a Computer World Honours Program Laureate. Dr. Bose is currently serving as a Commissioner to the UN Broadband Commission for Digital Development, as a member of the Army Science Board, and as a member of the Bernard M. Gordon-MIT Engineering Leadership Program Industry Advisory Board. Dr. Bose was a technical expert for the President’s Council of Advisors (PCAST) report: Realizing the full potential of the government-held spectrum to spur economic growth. Dr. Bose received his B.S, M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science from MIT.

“We innovate to provide coverage in places without coverage today.”