Member News

April 21, 2025

Fortress Solutions, a global contributor in telecom and technology services, partnered with Airspan Networks Inc. in support of a $42.7 million grant awarded under the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA)’s Public Wireless Supply Chain Innovation Fund (PWSCIF) NOFO 2.

Airspan, a U.S.-based provider of open radio access network (Open RAN) solutions and wireless access hardware, was recently selected by the NTIA to receive funding under the second round of the Innovation Fund. The NOFO 2 initiative invests in open radio unit (RU) commercialisation and innovation, specifically focusing on accelerating the development of open RUs and improving their performance and capabilities through targeted research and development to enable interoperable, standards-based Open RAN networks in the United States.

As part of this award, Fortress Solutions will provide component procurement, radio assembly and evaluation testing for multiple band prototype units.  Fortress will use its decades of experience in network infrastructure support and its nationwide footprint to help validate and sustain advanced wireless technologies in real-world environments.

“It’s an honour to support Airspan in this pivotal initiative that aligns directly with our mission to keep critical communication networks running reliably and efficiently,” said John Shelnutt, the CEO of Fortress Solutions. “The NTIA Innovation Fund represents a strategic investment in U.S.-led wireless innovation, and we’re proud to contribute to building secure, open and resilient 5G infrastructure.”

“Open RAN is a cutting-edge architecture that enables advanced 5G features and lays the foundation for what’s next. This funding and our partnership with Fortress Solutions enables us to increase our technology investment and accelerate our next-generation Open RAN radios,” stated Glenn Laxdal, the CEO of Airspan.

This partnership underscores Fortress Solutions’ ongoing commitment to strengthening the U.S. wireless ecosystem and supporting the transition to Open RAN architectures, which offer greater vendor diversity, supply chain resilience, and technological innovation.