As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to spread throughout the United States, IT teams supporting hospitals and relief efforts are faced with a new challenge: how to keep critical medical staff working in pop-up clinics and converted convention centers connected. It’s a challenge Cradlepoint is addressing with the launch of its E300 series wireless WAN routers, which are designed specifically to meet this need.

According to Cradlepoint CMO Todd Krautkremer, the routers are already being used to support medical and relief workers as they attempt to contain and treat the new coronavirus. The company says its technology has already been used to help offload cruise ship passengers affected by the coronavirus in Northern California, in pop-up testing facilities in parking lots, as well as by medical facilities and in U.S. Air Force quarantine facilities.

“They’re using Cradlepoint technology as a way to stand up a site-based network using an all-in-one unit,“ Krautkremer said.

The router features WiFi 6 antennas, a five-port Ethernet switch, integrated security and SD-WAN functionality. It can also be equipped with up to two 1 Gb/s capable LTE models for use in locations with limited to no infrastructure. Additionally, the routers can be upgraded with 5G capabilities using Cradlepoint’s W2000 wideband adapter, which was announced in February.

And these capabilities, according to Krautkremer, will enable medical workers to set up larger treatment sites and provide things like WiFi to patients who may not otherwise be able to see family or friends due to their condition.

Krautkremer said Cradlepoint can do the most good helping address the connectivity challenges faced by those fighting the ongoing pandemic, but added thaat the company’s technology goes far beyond that.

“This is really an important part of our new strategy,” he said, referring to the emerging wireless WAN market. “That’s where wireless is no longer just seen as a failover technology or insurance policy, and that has driven a lot of our business in the enterprise, but now it is increasingly being seen as a wide area link.”

Cradlepoint expects to see its line of wireless WAN appliances supporting local elections and remote offices where more traditional connectivity might not be feasible.

However, as 5G networks become more developed, the company anticipates enterprises will start to think of cellular as a viable primary backup and cut the cord altogether.

As Cradlepoint sets its sights on a future where enterprise WANs are connected not by MPLS or broadband, but high-speed, low-latency cellular networks, the company already faces competition.

Last month, Cisco announced two 4G LTE modules for its line of integrated services routers (ISR). Cisco’s CAT18 pluggable interface module provides 4G LTE Advanced Pro connectivity for ISR 1120 and 1160 series routers. The pluggable is capable of 1.2 Gb/s download speeds and features dual micro SIMs, backward compatibility with CAT4 and CAT6 modules, and support for a variety of antennas.

And like Cradlepoint, Cisco anticipates the wireless WAN market will grow as 5G becomes more widely available.

“Enterprises are looking at 5G as one viable transport to help address this,” Shankar Ramachandran said in an earlier interview with SDxCentral.