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Reported deployment

Reported city-owned CBRS LTE network for students and residents in Tucson, Arizona

Reported by Government Technology (Center for Digital Education) from the deploying organization's own account; results are not independent measurements.

Reviewed Sep 30, 20266 sourced facts
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Details

Organization
City of Tucson
Industry
municipal government (digital inclusion and remote learning)
Region
Tucson, Arizona
Current operating status
In use, including for some city infrastructure (September 2021 report)
Not stated by sources
Project date

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Overview

The City of Tucson, Arizona built its own LTE network on CBRS (Citizens Broadband Radio Service) spectrum in 2021 to give free home internet to low-income students and residents, using about $5 million in federal CARES Act pandemic relief and its existing municipal fiber.[1][2] JMA Wireless supplied the radios, Geoverse the packet core and network management, and Google the Spectrum Access System (SAS), with Insight Enterprises as integrator.[3][4] Government Technology reported in September 2021 that the network was also connecting some city infrastructure.[3] In May 2022 the Arizona Daily Star reported that the roughly $7 million program had served only 995 households and that many of the city's routers were falling back to public carrier networks.[5]

At a glance

Organization
City of Tucson, through its Community Wireless Program, led by then-CIO Collin Boyce.[3][1]
Location
Tucson, Arizona, starting with underserved census tracts; towers sit on fiber-connected city buildings and city-owned property.[2]
Date reported
Construction began in January 2021;[2] Light Reading reported on February 23, 2021 that the first phase was weeks from completion;[1] Government Technology reported the network in use on September 14, 2021.[3] The Arizona Daily Star reported the network went live in mid-2021.[5]
Spectrum
CBRS, coordinated through Google's Spectrum Access System.[3][1] Whether the city uses General Authorized Access (GAA) or Priority Access License (PAL) spectrum is not publicly stated.
Technology
LTE with JMA Wireless radios and XRAN baseband software on off-the-shelf servers,[4] a Geoverse GeoCore Evolved Packet Core, and Geoverse SIM cards that let devices roam onto public carrier networks outside the city's coverage.[3]
Scale as reported
About 40 radio sites. Light Reading reported coverage of about 44 square miles, or about 32,000 households, at average speeds of 30 to 50 Mbit/s;[1] PrivateLTEand5G described an initial 20-square-mile target area.[4] The Arizona Daily Star reported that the city bought 5,000 routers and that 995 households took part.[5]
Vendors and roles
JMA Wireless: radios and baseband software. Geoverse: packet core, SIMs, and network management. Google: SAS.[3][4] Insight Enterprises: integrator and customer service.[2][1] Tilson: site construction.[4] Zayo: fiber; Semtech (Sierra Wireless): devices.[1]
Funding
About $5.1 million in CARES Act funds at launch,[2] rising to about $7 million in total by 2022, with an estimated $300,000 a year to maintain, according to the Arizona Daily Star.[5]
Status
Reported in use in September 2021.[3] In May 2022 the Arizona Daily Star reported low use and no settled plan for the network's future.[5] We found no later public update.

How the network is used

  • Free home internet for eligible low-income students and seniors, filtered to support remote learning and telehealth; the city blocked services such as Netflix and Hulu.[2][3]
  • Connecting some city infrastructure, according to Geoverse.[3]
  • Ideas the city floated for later use included Wi-Fi on buses, parks, parking meters, connected traffic signals, and water utility management.[2][4]

Reported results

As reported by the sources below; not independently verified.

  • The Arizona Daily Star reported that 995 households used the network, at a cost of nearly $7,000 per household served, and that 423 of the 604 city routers active in the six months before its report connected to other networks rather than the city's. City staff attributed problems partly to rushed construction, such as a pole that went offline after a lightning strike because it was not properly grounded.[5]
  • Tucson's CIO said in an OnGo Alliance presentation that the network's LTE signal propagation was not as good as he had hoped, Light Reading reported.[1]

Timeline

  1. The Arizona Daily Star reports that the network served 995 households and that the city had no firm plan for it.[5]

  2. Government Technology reports the network is also being used to connect city infrastructure.[3]

  3. Geoverse announces its partnership with Tucson to establish and manage the network.[3]

  4. Light Reading reports the first phase is weeks from completion, with about 40 towers.[1]

  5. Construction of the CBRS network begins.[2]

  6. Tucson launches its Community Wireless Program.[5]

How to interpret this record

This record keeps the source's anonymous customer label and reported status. A case study does not establish current operation, reproducible performance, or independent verification.

Sources

Researched Oct 1, 2026. Manufacturer and vendor statements are their claims, not independent tests.

  1. Why Tucson is building its own 4G network — Light Reading, Feb 23, 2021. Accessed Oct 1, 2026.
  2. Going Wireless for Students and Seniors in Tucson — Institute for Local Self-Reliance (Community Networks), Feb 18, 2021. Accessed Oct 1, 2026.
  3. Geoverse Deploys 5G/LTE in Lieu of Wi-Fi for Virtual Learning — Government Technology, Sep 14, 2021. Accessed Oct 1, 2026.
  4. Tucson Pioneers CBRS Private Wireless Network to Bridge Digital Divide — PrivateLTEand5G.com. Accessed Oct 1, 2026.
  5. $7M Tucson internet network connects just 1,000 homes — Arizona Daily Star, May 24, 2022. Accessed Oct 1, 2026.

Every detail in the table at the top comes from these sources. Open the source details for each fact’s publisher, evidence type, date, and where it appears.

Source details (6)
SOURCEReported use case

home internet for eligible residents and students on SIM-equipped devices that roam to public networks outside coverage

Government Technology (Center for Digital Education) ↗Customer reportLocation in source: Paragraph 5Checked Sep 30, 2026Source date: not stated

SOURCEVendors Named

Geoverse (GeoCore Evolved Packet Core, network management), JMA Wireless (radio network), Google (Spectrum Access System)

Government Technology (Center for Digital Education) ↗Customer reportLocation in source: Paragraph 5Checked Sep 30, 2026Source date: not stated