Is it 4G? 5G?
It's every G (theoretically). Bentocells are entirely software defined, so out of the box they support 4G and 5G, but can be adapted in their firmware to support any other protocol. In theory, they will support 6G via a software update.
Ok but like real 4G and 5G? Not proprietary?
Yes. By default, Bentocells adhere to the 3GPP Release 17 standard for 4G LTE, and 3GPP Release 18 for 5G NR. We also test our equipment extensively with most common off-the-shelf UEs. We are open to writing patches for other releases, so feel free to still contact sales even if you aren't adhering to these exact standards
What's the catch?
We don't like hiding things, there is a catch: range and capacity. Each Bentocell has far less range than a traditional cell tower (about a mile). However, this is by design. Since they're so easy to configure and manage, it isn't that much harder to have more of them deployed, so they can focus on the fewer users within their range for exponentially less power.
Do I need to replace my existing hardware?
We think you'll want to, but no, you certainly don't have to. Maia acts as an intermediary manager for the Bentocells on your network, and from there you can connect them to your existing core. They will happily work side by side with any other cell sites, and can be manually configured to do handovers, the traditional way. We don't believe in vendor lock, we'd rather earn your business. That said, many of the automations available through Maia are only possible because of the Bentocell's dynamic hardware, so these unfortunately will not work with your existing equipment.