EdgeBeam Wireless acquires Sinclair’s Broadspan distribution platform

EdgeBeam Wireless acquired Sinclair’s Broadspan distribution platform, adding the software suite and its core engineering team as it moved to accelerate deployment of a national data delivery network built on ATSC 3.0 broadcast infrastructure.

Terms of the deal were not disclosed. EdgeBeam said the acquisition advances its deployment timeline by multiple quarters and strengthens its efforts to provide one-to-many data distribution services nationwide.

The Boston-based company said it uses a hybrid network model that combines ATSC 3.0 broadcast spectrum with internet service provider infrastructure to address last-mile network congestion. Broadspan’s provisioning software and partner broadcast infrastructure are expected to support a scalable distribution network using high-power television towers.

“This data path uses multicast technology to bypass cellular bottlenecks, enabling a single transmission to reach unlimited endpoints simultaneously,” Joe Fabiano, chief technology officer at EdgeBeam Wireless, said. “Integrating Broadspan’s technology and expert team of technologists provides our customers with a unified, reliable architecture for deploying their services, from high-precision positioning and digital signage to automotive and public safety applications.”

Sinclair said the platform’s next phase would continue under EdgeBeam’s ownership.

“Data distribution is a powerful next step in the evolution of broadcasting,” Del Parks, president of technology at Sinclair, said. “Broadspan’s ability to leverage existing broadcast infrastructure and its efficient one-to-many broadcast architecture provides a highly scalable, cost-effective tool for data users, and EdgeBeam is the right partner to lead this platform into its next phase of growth.”

EdgeBeam said engineers from the Broadspan team will join the company, doubling its technical headcount.

The company also said the platform is expected to help it scale services across the United States more quickly and give customers a streamlined process for distributing large files, software updates and video to ATSC 3.0-enabled devices.

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