You know about 5G, but have you heard of UBR or UBR 5G? At one time, installing internet at home required laying a network of wires. However, today, it’s possible to get lightning-fast internet speeds of up to 1 Gbps by simply installing a small device on a window. While people often think of this as a normal 5G mobile network, it’s powered by a secret wireless technology called UBR, or Unlicensed Band Radio.
In the technology world, it’s also known as UBR 5G. Interestingly, this technology is exclusively available to Jio, whose subscriber base is growing every month.
UBR stands for Unlicensed Band Radio. There are certain radio frequency bands for which the government doesn’t have to pay auction fees or spectrum license fees for their use. UBR or UBR 5G technology uses this free or unlicensed radio band to transmit internet from one point to another.
In simple terms, Jio can deliver high-speed data to people over long distances through the air without using government-auctioned spectrum.
In fact, when Jio launched FWA (Fixed Wireless Access), also known as Jio AirFiber, there were concerns that the entire load might fall on the 5G network. To address this, Jio integrated UBR technology into its network.
This completely eliminated the hassle of laying fiber cables in narrow streets and old colonies. Furthermore, due to the unlicensed spectrum, the company did not have to incur additional network costs.
The uniqueness of UBR technology is that it allows receivers installed on the rooftops of dozens of nearby houses to be directly connected to a single tower.
Jio’s biggest strength with this technology is that it is indigenously developed by Jio itself. Reliance Jio’s subsidiary, Radisys, acquired the American company Mimosa Networks for this purpose.
Following this, Jio developed its own UBR antennas and receivers, enabling it to deploy AirFiber connections in India.
The biggest advantage of UBR or UBR 5G is that it provides users with broadband speeds of up to 1 Gbps, 4K live TV streaming, and low-latency internet without the hassle of wires.
With this technology, there’s no fear of internet outages due to a fiber cable cut.
Furthermore, while normal 5G networks can suffer from congestion, UBR provides consistent, stable internet due to its dedicated connectivity.