The Automated SAS Revolution: Reflecting on Self-Service Transformation in 2025

By Jesse Caulfield, CEO, Key Bridge Wireless LLC
January 7, 2026

2025 was the year the CBRS ecosystem finally outgrew its adolescence.

We approached a major milestone: more than 400,000 CBSDs now share the 3.5 GHz band nationwide, with 500,000 in sight. Private 5G networks moved from pilots to production at scale, neutral-host venues multiplied, and rural broadband providers leaned harder than ever on shared spectrum to close the digital divide.

But scale brought a new reality: traditional, high-touch Spectrum Access System (SAS) management—long sales cycles, manual provisioning, ticket-driven changes—simply couldn’t keep up. The old model created bottlenecks that slowed deployments, raised costs, and frustrated operators who needed to move at the speed of their business.

That’s why, throughout 2025, the industry quietly shifted toward the automated SAS. And at Key Bridge, we were ready for it—because we’d been building toward this moment for years.

The Turning Point

Until recently, most SAS access flowed through partner channels and required significant hand-holding. Provisioning a new deployment could take weeks: sales consultations, custom contracts, manual configuration reviews, and coordinated cutovers.

As deployments grew denser and more diverse—enterprises spinning up campus networks overnight, neutral hosts adding venues weekly, integrators managing fleets of thousands of radios—this approach became unsustainable.

Customers told us clearly:

• “We need to onboard new sites in hours, not weeks.”
• “We want real-time visibility, not waiting on support tickets.”
• “Automation isn’t a nice-to-have—it’s table stakes.”

Our cloud-native architecture, built from the ground up on microservices and API-first principles, was designed for exactly this future. In 2025, we took the next logical step: opening direct provisioning and self-service onboarding to everyone.

What the Automated SAS Really Means

The transformation wasn’t just about a new portal—it was a fundamental shift in operational philosophy:

• Onboarding in minutes — Automated workflows handle account setup, credential issuance, and initial configuration without human intervention.
• Real-time transparency — Dashboards and APIs deliver instant insight into grants, channel availability, CPAS outcomes, and protection status—no more opaque processes.
• Maximum automation — From channel recommendations to grant requests to heartbeat management, the system does the heavy lifting so your team can focus on strategy.
• Lower operational overhead — Fewer support interactions, reduced staffing needs for routine tasks, and predictable performance at scale.

The result? Customers who adopted the automated SAS in 2025 reported dramatically faster time-to-revenue on new sites, fewer outages from misconfigurations, and the agility to experiment with advanced features like hybrid PAL/GAA plans and network-wide channel optimization.

Looking Back—And Forward

2025 proved that CBRS has matured into a true enterprise-grade platform. Shared spectrum is no longer just an alternative—it’s often the preferred path for speed, cost, and flexibility.

At Key Bridge, we’re proud to have played a part in that maturation. Our early bets on virtualization, automation, and open APIs positioned us to deliver the automated experience the market demanded.

As we enter 2026 with the ecosystem stronger and larger than ever, one thing is clear: the future of spectrum management isn’t more manual oversight—it’s the automated SAS, delivering smarter coordination and greater control in your hands.

If you haven’t yet experienced the automated SAS, now is the perfect time. Visit keybridgewireless.com to get started—or reach out to our team. We’re here to help you move faster, operate smarter, and build the networks your users deserve.

Here’s to a transformative 2025—and an even more automated 2026.

Best regards,
Jesse Caulfield
CEO, Key Bridge Wireless LLC
McLean, Virginia

Key Bridge Wireless – Automated Spectrum Access for a Connected World