{"id":16848,"date":"2024-10-18T13:46:46","date_gmt":"2024-10-18T13:46:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/durolabs.co\/?p=16848"},"modified":"2025-05-06T12:52:26","modified_gmt":"2025-05-06T12:52:26","slug":"beamlink-cell-service","status":"publish","type":"success-story","link":"https:\/\/durolabs.co\/success-story\/beamlink-cell-service\/","title":{"rendered":"How Beamlink is Bringing Cell Service to the Next 3.5 Billion People"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
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LA-based startup Beamlink<\/a> is quietly solving internet connectivity for half the world by helping carriers expand to rural and disaster-prone communities. They aim to unlock 3.5 billion new subscribers and empower these communities to advance everything from education to healthcare.<\/span><\/p>

Beamlink\u2019s towers use less power than a lightbulb and auto-calibrate when plugged in. These compact devices don\u2019t rely on existing infrastructure, making them easier for engineers to manage. Pocket networks of Bentocells cover areas at just 1% of the cost of traditional networks.<\/p>

As one of our most innovative clients, we wanted to share the creative work Beamlink is doing to disrupt traditional cellular infrastructure. We chatted with Arpad Kovesdy<\/a>, the Co-founder and CTO, to see how their technology is solving the global problem of internet activity and how PLM is helping them achieve this. <\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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Rethinking Cellular Connectivity<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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Beamlink’s mission is to democratize cellular network access, making it affordable and accessible even in remote areas where current infrastructure is unreliable or too expensive.<\/span> Beamlink<\/span> takes the technology used in traditional cell towers and packages it into a small, low-cost device called the Bentocell<\/strong><\/em>.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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Beamlink Bentocell tower<\/figcaption>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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These devices can bring internet to new places and re-establish connectivity in disasters and emergencies, all within about 5 minutes of setup. <\/span>Arpad explained, “Cell towers as we know them haven’t changed in decades. They’re expensive, complex, and not always resilient. We wanted to change that. Half the world doesn’t have the luxury of the internet, which is hard to believe”.<\/span><\/p>\n

Beamlink’s competitors are traditional cell towers, which build $2M towers on 60-foot metal poles requiring municipal power and trained engineers. Compare that to Beamlink’s towers, which are the size of a lunch box, operate on battery and solar panels, and are made for just $2K each\u2013making them perfect for rural communities.<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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Beamlink Hardware Challenges<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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Beamlink designs and manages everything in-house, from custom circuit boards to the enclosures of their devices. Managing this complexity became more challenging as production scaled. <\/span>\u201cWe build every single level of the hardware ourselves,\u201d said Arpad. \u201cBut as we grew, it became harder to sync up the different versions of our designs, especially when sharing files with manufacturers.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Beamlink managed its Bill of Materials (BOMs) using Excel spreadsheets and shared files via a previous vendor, which presented challenges, especially when exporting files. Version control was a big pain point for Beamlink. Without a centralized system, email threads and duplicate files piled up, often leading to confusion.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019d send manufacturers ZIP files with design revisions, but sometimes they\u2019d start building the wrong version,\u201d Arpad explained. \u201cLuckily, we caught the mistake in time, but it showed us how urgently we needed a better system. That\u2019s when we decided to invest in PLM software with PDM.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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Bentocell new render model<\/figcaption>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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Why Beamlink Chose Duro<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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Beamlink needed a PLM solution that could integrate with their existing tools\u2014SolidWorks<\/a> and Altium<\/a>\u2014without disrupting their workflows. Arpad and the team were looking for a platform that was easy to onboard, user-friendly for those new to PLM, and adaptable to their existing processes.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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“They don\u2019t teach you about PLM in college. We wanted something easy to set up and learn,” he noted. <\/span>This led Beamlink to Duro. \u201cWe didn\u2019t have to change how we work,\u201d Arpad said. \u201cDuro supports all of our integrations like SolidWorks and Altium, and that flexibility was key for us. It made the decision easy.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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Duro Solidworks integration<\/figcaption>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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How Duro is Helping Beamlink Scale<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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With production runs underway and prototypes entering certification, Beamlink is progressing through commercial production with full FCC certification, using Duro to enhance efficiency. The team has seen instant, significant improvements in version control and collaboration.<\/p>\n

\u201cHaving this PLM in place is already helping us track engineering changes, manage parts, and avoid costly mistakes with manufacturers,\u201d Arpad noted. \u201cWith Duro, risks are now minimized. Everyone can find the information they need in the PLM without having to dig through emails or spreadsheets,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n

Beamlink aims to fully onboard all team members with Duro, ensuring that every product iteration and change order is meticulously tracked and easily accessible. This will be especially crucial as they advance through production, work with early customers in heavily regulated environments, and engage in discussions with large network carriers.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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What\u2019s Next for Beamlink?<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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Beamlink aims to cover its first major disaster in the next 12 months, impacting approximately 10.6 million<\/strong><\/span> people<\/strong> within three years. They already work with local partners who manage equipment and networks and have signed a landmark MOU with a telecom company in Nigeria. Beamlink has also established relationships with all four Hawaiian counties and most Pacific islands. <\/span><\/p>\n

With Duro\u2019s PLM, Beamlink is confident in its ability to scale while keeping everything in check. \u201cFive years from now, if one of our Bentocells in the field has an issue, we\u2019ll be able to trace everything back to the original design,\u201d Arpad said. \u201cThat\u2019s the future-proofing we needed, and Duro gives us that confidence.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Beamlink isn’t just building hardware\u2014they\u2019re creating a new way to connect the world. With Duro as the foundation of their tech stack, they\u2019re well on their way to connecting the next 3.5 billion people. Watch this space.<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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