- Globalstar debuts next-gen XCOM RAN, combining open RAN technology with licensed and unlicensed spectrum to deliver a fully integrated private network offering for enterprises
- Built on tech from XCOM Labs and led by former Qualcomm executives, the system claims up to 4x traffic capacity in venues like warehouses, ports and stadiums
- Globalstar says its ability to bundle n53 spectrum with private 5G infrastructure sets it apart from CBRS-based rivals, while expansion across 13 countries supports growth in logistics, retail and industrial markets
Globalstar isn’t commenting on speculation that it’s going to be bought by Amazon – or maybe SpaceX, depending on which rumor is making the rounds today. But it’s ready and willing to talk about its XCOM RAN portfolio.
The company today announced the launch of its next-gen end-to-end private 5G solution, XCOM RAN by Globalstar. It’s a decidedly more grounded technology than the satellites that rocketed Globalstar to fame in 2022, the year it inked a deal to provide the satellite connectivity for Apple’s emergency SOS service.
XCOM RAN isn’t brand new – it’s based on technology that Globalstar bought in 2023 when XCOM Labs founder and former Qualcomm CEO Paul Jacobs joined the company as CEO. Globalstar was founded by Loral Corporation and Qualcomm in 1991, and the Qualcomm angle remains strong. Matt Grob, former chief technology officer at Qualcomm, is now the CTO at Globalstar.
The XCOM team built a wireless solution that they said could handle four times the traffic of a traditional 5G network in indoor venues like stadiums. But it made even more sense when it was combined with Globalstar’s n53 spectrum. Globalstar spent years working with regulators to get the spectrum approved for terrestrial use, and it’s now a central part of the XCOM private networking business case.
The n53 spectrum is now available in 13 countries.
“Basically, we came with the private network. They had the spectrum. We put them together and improved our offering for private networks,” said Tamer Kadous, general manager of Terrestrial Networks at Globalstar and another former XCOM Labs executive.
Today's launch is based on open RAN standards, or O-RAN, and now includes the XCOM Radio Series with indoor and outdoor options, the XCOM Core and the XCOM Orchestrator. It also now includes the XCOM Industrial Router, an Industry 4.0 CPE device that supports spectrum bands n48 (3550-3700 MHz), n53 (2483.5-2495 MHz) and n78 (3300-3800 MHz).
“With this launch, what we are doing is we are completing all the missing pieces to be able to have an end-to-end solution,” Kadous told Fierce. “Now we can offer an end-to-end solution whenever that makes sense.”
Globalstar’s spectrum support
Other vendors build private networking products for the Citizens Broadband Radio Services (CBRS) 3.5 GHz spectrum in the U.S., and that’s the first spectrum XCOM built its radios for. But its solution is unique because it can include Globalstar’s licensed n53 spectrum with the package, and not a lot of other solutions do that. “I think we’re the only one that I'm aware of,” he said.
The target markets include logistics/warehouse automation and Globalstar already is supplying XCOM to one of the world’s largest retailers. The company has never disclosed who it is, and Kadous declined to comment on that. Ports and mines are also in the mix of potential customers.
He explained that they created a single brain to run the radios under a kind of “dome of coverage.” If one radio goes down, another radio will pick it up.
“This is automatic redundancy and reliability and the device really does not know that it’s moving between radios… In small cell deployments, any device will be connected to only one cell and the rest will be interfering. We don’t have this. The user does not really have handover,” which makes for smoother communications, he said.
While Globalstar is offering this end-to-end private 5G solution, it’s also working with an ecosystem of other players. Partners include Boldyn Networks, Nextivity, Rajant and Zebra, to name a few.
The radio manufacturing is done in India and the manufacturing of the industrial router is done in Indonesia and Vietnam, but the router manufacturing is coming to an undisclosed or undetermined location in the U.S.
Globalstar employs about 400 people across 15 countries. Kadous declined to address speculation about the company being sold, which is no doubt complicated by its relationship with Apple.