JMA Wireless has hired Joe Constantine as chief technology and strategy officer. He most recently was CTO, North America, for Ericsson.
In fact, Constantine spent more than 20 years in a variety of roles at Ericsson. He will be based in JMA’s Syracuse, New York, headquarters, responsible for technology strategy and product. It’s a new position, so he’s not replacing anyone at JMA, according to a spokesperson.
“Joe’s appointment is a key milestone for JMA,” said JMA CEO John Mezzalingua in a statement. “As we continue to grow, innovate, and disrupt the industry amid the transition to 5G, his deep technology background, knowledge of the North American market, and network of regional carrier and enterprise leaders will be invaluable.”
At Ericsson, Constantine held a variety of leadership positions in Europe, Asia, and North America dating back to 2000. Before joining Ericsson, he was founder and CEO of JCE Consulting, which provided IT and professional training services to academic institutions.
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JMA, whose bread and butter was once focused on the distributed antenna (DAS) space, has since branched out into several areas, including vRAN, Citizens Broadband Radio Service (CBRS) solutions, onshore manufacturing of 4G/5G antennas and high-grade connectors.
Not surprisingly, JMA has used its U.S.-based headquarters to its advantage as more attention shifts to American-made technology.
JMA designs, codes and manufactures its software-based 5G platform in the U.S., including its XRAN software. In some respects, the company is going up against big rivals, including the likes of Ericsson, Nokia and Samsung, which all have a U.S. presence but their headquarters are overseas. It’s also competing with companies like CommScope and Corning.
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In 2018, JMA acquired Phazr, the Allen, Texas-based provider of 5G RAN technology that supports spectrum from 600 MHz all the way up to 47 GHz. Phazr was co-founded by Farooq Khan, one of the pioneers of millimeter wave technology.
No doubt, Constantine is optimistic about JMA’s future. “The wireless technology landscape is changing, and JMA is emerging as a leader in the field,” he said in a statement. “Its unique software-based technology has already made it a force in the private wireless revolution, and the sky’s the limit for its continued growth, not just in the U.S. but around the world.”