Anyone can run their own Wi-Fi network. Cellular networks have been another matter entirely, until now. With Facebook's Magma open-source distributed mobile packet software project, FreedomFi[1] enables anyone to build low cost, private, long-range, reliable, and secure 4G LTE and 5G networks. This is done using its its beta FreedomFi Gateway hardware and software package.
Historically, building a cellular network requires a lot of proprietary hardware from incumbent network equipment manufacturers. This has made it much too expensive for individuals or companies to set up even a small scale cellular network. With the rise of Software-Defined Networking (SDN)[2] and Network Functions Virtualization (NFV), it's become orders of magnitude cheaper to build your own cellular network.
FreedomFi Gateway is the next logical step in this networking journey. It's a commodity, x86 network appliance that offers a straightforward, highly affordable path for anyone to build their own Private LTE or 5G network using open-source software and small cell radios. The beta edition of the FreedomFi Gateway is available on the company website to open-source project sponsors for as little as $300.
The FreedomFi Gateway puts the core functions of a 4G/5G network at the network's edge[3]. Inside the FreedomFi Gateway are the core functions needed to provide network connectivity and policy enforcement for end devices. For example, the 4G FreedomFi gateway runs the Mobility Management Entity (MME)[4], Serving Gateway (SGW)[5], and Packet Data Network Gateway (PGW)[6]. The FreedomFi Gateway supports the standard LTE and 5G southbound[7] interfaces to commercial radios allowing customers to mix and match radios and avoid getting locked into a single vendor proprietary solution. Other services like the Home Subscriber Server (HSS)[8] data