Samsung unlocked access to its innovative “Strand Small Cell,” which is targeted at cable telecommunication providers interested in expanding the reach of their 5G-based cellular services using already owned infrastructure and spectrum holdings.

The all-in-one platform was initially unveiled last year in partnership with Comcast as core to the cable giant’s plans to supplement cellular services running through a mobile virtual network operator (MVNO) agreement with Verizon. It’s now available to all interested parties.

The strand device is designed to be mounted on existing aerial cable lines. The lines provide necessary power and backhaul capabilities, with the strand device then beaming out a 5G-based wireless signal.

Rick Svensson, senior director for Samsung Electronics America’s U.S. Cable Operators Networks Business, explained in a blog post that the small cell can support up to an aggregate of 80 megahertz of Consumer Broadband Radio Spectrum (CBRS).

“It is essentially a miniature version of a standalone full-blown 5G cell site with a fully integrated DOCSIS cable modem,” Svensson wrote.

DOCSIS, which stands for data over cable service interface specifications, is an international standard used by the cable industry for the transmission of high-speed data over existing cable infrastructure. Comcast two years ago began pushing toward deploying the latest DOCSIS 4.0 specification, supports symmetrical 10 Gb/s speeds to individual locations, and last week said it has started commercial deployments.

Svensson added that the commercial launch followed “extensive lab and field testing with multiple customers,” and that the small cell is now powering Comcast’s commercial 5G service in some markets.

Comcast’s efforts accelerated last month when the cable giant touted successful cellular testing using its extensive CBRS spectrum holdings. This allowed Comcast to enter into an agreement to sell most of its low-band 600 MHz spectrum holdings to T-Mobile US.

Other cable companies are also expanding their push into the CBRS-powered cellular space. This includes Cox Communications and Charter Communications, which both have similar MVNO relationships with Verizon and are also looking to expand the reach of their own 5G network infrastructure.

SNS Telecom & IT recently forecast investments in 4G LTE and 5G-based CBRS radio access network (RAN) equipment would hit $900 million this year. That spend is expected to grow at a 20% compound annual growth rate over the next three years, hitting $1.5 billion in sales by 2026.

“Much of this growth will be driven by private cellular, neutral host and fixed-wireless broadband network deployments, as well as 5G buildouts aimed at improving the economics of the cable operators' MVNO services,” the analyst firm noted.