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Equipment record

Ericsson Cradlepoint R980

Gateway / router from Ericsson Enterprise Wireless Solutions (Cradlepoint); details below are as stated by the manufacturer.

Reviewed Sep 30, 20264 sourced facts
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Ericsson Cradlepoint R980 product photo
Image: Ericsson Enterprise Wireless Solutions (Cradlepoint)

Details

Exact model
Ericsson Cradlepoint R980
Category
Gateway / router
Technology / network scope
4G LTE5G NR5G NR and Cat 19 LTE
Bands
CBRS 3.55–3.703.43.63.8GHzCBRS (private cellular network: CBRS, 4G LTE, 5G)
Not stated by sources
Environment · Availability

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Overview

The Ericsson Cradlepoint R980 is a compact, ruggedized metal 5G router for vehicles and IoT (Internet of Things) sites, with an embedded 5G NR modem that falls back to LTE Category 19.[1][2] Ericsson lists support for private cellular networks, including CBRS (Citizens Broadband Radio Service) Band 48 under FCC Part 96, alongside public-safety networks such as FirstNet.[2] It is sold with an Ericsson NetCloud Mobile or Ruggedized IoT subscription and managed from NetCloud Manager; Ericsson positions the IoT plan for harsh fixed sites such as oil and gas, utilities and video surveillance.[2]

Specifications

Cellular

Modem
Embedded 5G NR FR1 (sub-6 GHz) and LTE modem, 3GPP Release 16, with LTE Advanced Pro Category 19 fallback (model R980-5GD); standalone (SA) and non-standalone (NSA) 5G, with network slicing across up to four DNN/PDN instances[2]
5G NR bands
27 bands in both SA and NSA, from n1 to n79, including n48 (3.5 GHz CBRS), n41, n77 and n78[2]
LTE bands
22 FDD bands (including B2, B4, B12, B13, B14, B66 and B71) and 9 TDD bands, including Band 48; 3G WCDMA fallback[2]
Peak rates (as stated)
NSA up to 3.4 Gbps down / 550 Mbps up; SA up to 2.4 Gbps / 450 Mbps; LTE up to 1.6 Gbps / 200 Mbps[2]
Carrier aggregation
5G-only: up to 2 downlink carriers, 1 uplink; EN-DC: up to 4 LTE + 1 NR downlink; LTE-only: up to 5 downlink, 2 uplink[2]
MIMO and antennas
4x4 MIMO; four SMA cellular connectors; external 600 MHz–6 GHz antennas are not included[2]
SIM
Two 4FF (nano) SIM slots plus embedded MFF2 eSIM that holds up to eight carrier profiles[2]
Second modem
Supported by adding an outdoor R2105 or R2155 5G captive-modem accessory[1][2]

Interfaces

Ethernet
Two Gigabit Ethernet RJ45 ports, each switchable between LAN and WAN[2]
Wi-Fi
Wi-Fi 6 (802.11ax), dual-band concurrent 2x2 MU-MIMO; access point, client and Wi-Fi-as-WAN modes; two RP-SMA connectors[2]
USB, serial and Bluetooth
One USB 2.0 Type-A port with screw lock; RS-232 serial through an optional USB-to-RS232 cable; no Bluetooth[1][2]
GNSS
Active GNSS (global navigation satellite system) on an SMA connector: GPS, Galileo, GLONASS and BeiDou[2]

Physical and environmental

Form factor
Ruggedized metal enclosure rated IP64; 133.6 x 121.5 x 41 mm (5.26 x 4.78 x 1.61 in); 601 g[2]
Operating temperature
-30 °C to 70 °C (-22 °F to 158 °F); Ericsson notes Wi-Fi and cellular performance may degrade above 70 °C[2]
Vehicle and hazardous-location ratings
E-Mark and SAE J1455; MIL-STD-810H vibration and shock methods; Class I Division 2; NFPA 130 and BSS 7239 for rail fire safety[2]
Mounting
Mounting template ships with Mobile packages; DIN rail bracket and magnetic mount kit are optional accessories[2]

Power

Input
9–36 VDC through a 4-pin Molex Micro-Fit connector, with an in-line fuse required in vehicles; ignition sensing and ISO 7637-2 transient protection[2]; no PoE (Power over Ethernet)[1]
Consumption
8 W idle, 11 W typical, 13 W heavy; 15 mW sleep[2]

Certifications

Regulatory and carriers
FCC, ISED (Canada), CE, RCM and UKCA; PTCRB and GCF; carrier approvals from AT&T, T-Mobile, Verizon and Telstra[2]
Public safety
FirstNet Trusted, T-Mobile Connecting Heroes and T-Priority, Verizon Frontline Verified and Frontline Network Slice, and ESN (4G)[2]
FIPS
FIPS 140-3 Level 1 module listed as in process, for FIPS models only[2]
FCC ID
Not listed on Ericsson's product page or data sheet[2]
OnGo listings
We did not find the R980 on the OnGo Alliance's certified-device list or its list of FCC-authorized Band 48 end-user devices (checked October 1, 2026)[3][4]

Management and performance

Cloud management
Ericsson NetCloud Manager for the subscription term; NetCloud Mobile or Ruggedized IoT plans, with NetCloud Exchange (zero-trust and SD-WAN features) and Advanced add-ons[2]
Rated throughput
940 Mbps stateful firewall; 200 Mbps point-to-point IPsec VPN; 85 Mbps SASE/SD-WAN; 20 concurrent VPN tunnels[2]
Edge computing
Dual-core 64-bit ARMv8 with up to 921 MB memory and 8 GB flash for Docker containers[2]
Warranty
Limited lifetime hardware warranty while an active NetCloud subscription is maintained[2]

What’s included

  • With NetCloud Mobile packages: a 3 m GPIO cable and a mounting template[2]
  • Router packages ship without an AC power supply or antennas[2]

Public pricing

  • Ericsson does not publish a list price on its product page or data sheet. The R980 is ordered as hardware bundled with a NetCloud Mobile or Ruggedized IoT subscription, offered in 1-, 3- and 5-year terms (checked October 1, 2026).[1][2]

Documents

Vendor

Sources

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

  1. Ericsson Cradlepoint R980 — Ericsson. Accessed Oct 1, 2026.
  2. Ericsson Cradlepoint R980 data sheet — Ericsson, Sep 9, 2026. Accessed Oct 1, 2026.
  3. OnGo Certified Devices — OnGo Alliance. Accessed Oct 1, 2026.
  4. FCC-Authorized End User Devices — OnGo Alliance. 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 (4)