WInnForum releases new CBRS ecosystem report

The Wireless Innovation Forum has published a new report that quantifies U.S. Citizens Broadband Radio Service deployments and spectrum use using anonymized data from all Spectrum Access System administrators. The findings offer a clearer view of CBRS growth, including more than 440,000 active devices and 1.3 million active grants as of May 1, 2026.

Why it matters: - The new CBRS report gives wireless stakeholders a data-driven snapshot of how dynamic spectrum sharing is being deployed across the United States. - The anonymized approach is designed to show market trends without exposing individual deployments. - The findings can help vendors, operators, and policymakers track adoption, technology mix, and spectrum utilization.

What happened: - The Wireless Innovation Forum published CBRS By the Numbers (WINNF-SSC-3550 Version 1.0.0) on Aug. 27, 2026. - The report aggregates and anonymizes Citizens Broadband Radio Service deployment and spectrum-use data across the United States. - The analysis uses Full Activity Dump data contributed by all Spectrum Access System administrators. - The forum said the report is one of the most comprehensive public views of the CBRS ecosystem available today.

The details: - The report is based on FAD data as of May 1, 2026. - The analysis covers more than 440,000 active Citizens Broadband Radio Service Devices. - The dataset includes more than 1.3 million active spectrum grants. - The report identifies 157 distinct FCC-certified CBRS equipment models in active operation. - The analysis examines adoption trends across LTE, 5G NR, and proprietary wireless technologies. - The report includes statistics on CBSD deployment categories, indoor and outdoor installations, PAL and GAA spectrum usage, granted bandwidth, grant allocation characteristics, antenna heights, and state and county heatmaps. - The report is available here. - The report will be updated periodically to reflect new deployment and operational trends. - Contributors include representatives from Ericsson, Federated Wireless, RED Technologies, and Sony.

Between the lines: - The scale of the dataset suggests CBRS has matured into a large commercial ecosystem rather than an early-stage spectrum experiment. - The mix of device models and technology types points to a broad and diverse vendor landscape. - The report may give the industry a common baseline for discussing CBRS growth, utilization, and deployment patterns.

What's next: - The Wireless Innovation Forum plans periodic updates to the report. - Future versions are expected to track the latest CBRS deployment and operational trends as the ecosystem changes.

The bottom line: - The report turns CBRS activity into a measurable market picture, offering a rare, anonymized look at how shared spectrum is being used nationwide.