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Cradlepoint R980 Ruggedized 5G Router with Wi-Fi 6 and 3-Year NetCloud Mobile Essentials + Advanced

5GMPN MBA3-R980-5GD-A
  • Wi-Fi 6
  • Dual SIM
  • eSIM
  • 2–4 × 1 Gb Ethernet
  • GPS/GNSS
  • Rugged
$1,899.00$1,985.00Save $86

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Included subscription · 3 years
1 year−$197.322 years−$129.453 years4 years−$475 years+$180.146 years+$126.12
Compliance · Standard
StandardTAA compliant
Region · Global
North America+$1,943.07Global
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Datasheets & documents

Overview

The Ericsson Cradlepoint R980 (MBA3-R980-5GD-A) is a compact ruggedized 5G router for vehicles and harsh field installations. It combines an embedded 5G NR NSA/SA modem with LTE Cat 19 fallback, two 4FF SIM slots, MFF2 eSIM hardware, dual-band Wi-Fi 6 and two gigabit LAN/WAN ports in an IP64 metal housing. This global SKU (U.S., Canada, EU, UK, Australia and New Zealand) includes a 3-year NetCloud Mobile Essentials + Advanced plan and ships without an AC power supply or antennas.

  • Embedded 5G NR NSA/SA modem with LTE Advanced Pro Cat 19 fallback, up to 3.4 Gbps downlink
  • Two 4FF SIM slots plus MFF2 eSIM hardware with up to eight carrier profiles
  • 5G network slicing with up to four DNN/PDN instances
  • Dual-band, dual-concurrent 2x2 MU-MIMO Wi-Fi 6 with AP, client and Wi-Fi-as-WAN modes
  • 2 x GbE LAN/WAN switchable ports, screw-lock USB 2.0 and active GNSS
  • IP64, -30 °C to 70 °C, MIL-STD-810H and Class I Div 2 certified
  • 3-year NetCloud Mobile Essentials + Advanced plan with 24x7 support
  • Bring 5G to vehicles and remote assets in a compact 601 g ruggedized housing

The Ericsson Cradlepoint R980 is a ruggedized, secure router that brings 5G to mobile and IoT deployments where temperature extremes, vibration and hazardous locations rule out ordinary hardware. Part number MBA3-R980-5GD-A is the global configuration, covering the U.S., Canada, European Union, United Kingdom, Australia and New Zealand, and bundles a 3-year Ericsson NetCloud Mobile Essentials + Advanced plan. It ships without an AC power supply or antennas.

The embedded modem supports 5G NR low- and mid-band on both non-standalone and standalone networks across 600 MHz to 6 GHz, with LTE Advanced Pro Category 19 fallback and 3G support. Peak rates reach 3.4 Gbps down and 550 Mbps up on 5G NSA. Two 4FF SIM slots and MFF2 eSIM hardware with up to eight carrier profiles support multi-carrier strategies, and 5G network slicing supports up to four DNN/PDN instances. Public safety certifications include FirstNet Trusted, T-Mobile T-Priority, Verizon Frontline and ESN, alongside AT&T, T-Mobile and Verizon network certifications and CBRS Band 48 private cellular support.

Connectivity on the unit includes two gigabit LAN/WAN switchable ports, 2x2 MU-MIMO Wi-Fi 6 with AP, client and Wi-Fi-as-WAN modes, a screw-lock USB 2.0 port and active multi-constellation GNSS. A dual-core ARMv8 CPU runs Docker containerized applications, and rated stateful firewall and IPS throughput is 940 Mbps.

At 133.6 x 121.5 x 41 mm and 601 g, the R980 fits tight vehicle and cabinet spaces. It is IP64 rated, operates from -30 °C to 70 °C, draws 11 W typical from a 9–36 VDC input with ignition sensing, and holds MIL-STD-810H, E-Mark, SAE J1455, NFPA 130 and Class I Div 2 certifications. The NetCloud plan covers NetCloud Manager, software updates and 24x7 support for the term, with a limited lifetime hardware warranty while subscribed.

Ideal for

  • First responder vehicles using FirstNet, T-Priority or Verizon Frontline
  • Light rail and transit vehicles requiring NFPA 130 and E-Mark certified hardware
  • Ruggedized IoT sites in hazardous (Class I Div 2) locations
  • Field service and utility fleets with GNSS tracking and coverage mapping
  • Multinational fleets standardizing on one SKU across North America, Europe, the UK and ANZ

Specifications

Power

Features
ISO 7637-2 reverse polarity and transient protection; ignition sensing
Connector
4-pin 2x2 Molex Micro-Fit
Light Rail
24 VDC nominal for light rail applications
Consumption
Sleep 15 mW; idle 8 W; typical 11 W; heavy 13 W
Input Voltage
9–36 VDC steady state (in-line fuse required for vehicle installations)
Fuse Requirements
3 A fuse for 9–24 VDC; 2 A fuse above 24 VDC

General

MPN
MBA3-R980-5GD-A
Brand
Cradlepoint (Ericsson Cradlepoint)
Model
Cradlepoint R980
Region
Global: U.S., Canada, EU, UK, Australia, New Zealand
Manufacturer
Ericsson Enterprise Wireless
Hardware Configuration
R980 with Wi-Fi, 5G modem, 4FF SIM slots and embedded eSIM; no AC power supply or antennas

Package

Included
R980 router and 3-year NetCloud Mobile Essentials + Advanced plan
Documents
Cradlepoint R980 datasheet
Not Included
No AC power supply or antennas

GNSS GPS

Power
2.9–3.15 VDC supply; 100 mA max
Accuracy
1 m autonomous
Protocols
NMEA 0183, TAIP
Frequencies
L1
Sensitivity
Acquisition -148 dBm; tracking -161 dBm; cold start -146 dBm
Update Rate
1 Hz (once per second)
Constellations
GPS, Galileo, GLONASS, BeiDou (concurrent)
Time TO First Fix
30 seconds (cold start)

Physical

Weight
601 g (1 lb 5.2 oz)
Dimensions
133.6 x 121.5 x 41 mm (5.26 x 4.78 x 1.61 in)

Interfaces

Wi-Fi
2x2 MU-MIMO Wi-Fi 6 with DFS; 574 Mbps (2.4 GHz) / 1.2 Gbps (5 GHz); AP, client, Wi-Fi as WAN; 2 x RP-SMA; WPA3; Wi-Fi Alliance Certified
Modem
Embedded 5G NR FR1 and LTE modem; 4 x SMA; 2 x 4FF SIM; 1 x MFF2 eSIM
Ethernet
2 x GbE RJ45 (LAN/WAN switchable)
Expansion
1 x USB 2.0 Type-A (5 V, 500 mA, 2.5 W) with screw lock
GNSS Connector
1 x SMA GNSS antenna connector

Wi-Fi Power

IC
26.42 / 16.48 / 18.33 / 22.17 / 23.14 dBm
Fcc
26.42 / 21.63 / 21.20 / 22.17 / 23.14 dBm
Rcm
13.91 / 18.04 / 17.92 / 21.48 / 23.14 dBm
CE Ukca
13.91 / 18.04 / 17.92 / 21.48 dBm

Performance

Vlans
Up to 64 Layer 2 / Layer 3 VLANs
Stateful Firewall
940 Mbps
Typical Client Count
50
Ips Application Aware
940 Mbps
Concurrent VPN Tunnels
20
Concurrent Tcp Sessions
32,000
Client Traffic Analytics
100 Mbps
Point TO Point Ipsec VPN
200 Mbps
Sase Secure Connect SD WAN
85 Mbps

Reliability

Calculated MTBF
1,407,191 hours (Telcordia SR332 at 25 °C)

Subscription

Plan
3-Year NetCloud Mobile Essentials + Advanced Plans
Term
3 years
Support
24x7 support for the full subscription term
Warranty
Limited lifetime warranty while subscribed to an active NetCloud plan
Service Plans
NetCloud Service for Mobile or Ruggedized IoT
Service Add Ons
NetCloud Exchange, Ericsson NetCloud Advanced
Software Updates
Via NetCloud Manager for the full subscription term
Device Management
NetCloud Manager for the full subscription term
Subscription Terms Available
1, 3 and 5 years

Environmental

Humidity
Operating 10–95%; storage 5–95%
Ingress Protection
IP64 (dust tight and splashing water)
Storage Temperature
-40 °C to 85 °C (-40 °F to 185 °F)
Operating Temperature
-30 °C to 70 °C (-22 °F to 158 °F)

Cellular Modem

3g
WCDMA/UMTS/HSPA+
SMS
Yes
eSIM
Up to eight carrier profiles
GNSS
GPS, Galileo, GLONASS, BeiDou
MIMO
4x4 MIMO
3g Bands
Bands 1, 2, 4, 5, 8, 19
Antennas
SMA female; external 600 MHz–6 GHz paddle antennas (not included)
LTE Bands
FDD B1–B71 (22 bands); TDD B34, B38, B39, B40, B41, B42, B43, B46, B48
Modulation
Up to 256 QAM downlink and uplink
Peak Rates
NSA 3.4 Gbps / 550 Mbps; SA 2.4 Gbps / 450 Mbps; LTE 1.6 Gbps / 200 Mbps
Regulatory
FCC, IC, CE, RCM, UKCA
Technology
5G NR NSA/SA, 600 MHz–6 GHz; LTE Cat 19 fallback; dual 4FF SIM; MFF2 eSIM; network slicing; 3GPP Release 16
5G NR Bands
n1, n2, n3, n5, n7, n8, n12, n13, n14, n18, n20, n25, n26, n28, n29, n30, n38, n40, n41, n48, n66, n71, n75, n76, n77, n78, n79
Transmit Power
5G NR up to 29 dBm (PC1.5); LTE up to 26 dBm (PC2)
Network Slicing
Up to four DNN/PDN instances
Carrier Aggregation
5G NR DL 2CA / UL 1CA; ENDC DL 4+1CA / UL 2+2CA; LTE DL 5CA / UL 2CA
Private Cellular Network
Yes, including CBRS Band 48 (FCC Part 96)
Network Operator Standards
PTCRB (U.S., Canada), GCF (worldwide)
Public Safety Certifications
ESN (4G), FirstNet Trusted, T-Mobile Connecting Heroes, T-Priority, Verizon Frontline Verified and Network Slice
Network Operator Certifications
AT&T, T-Mobile, Verizon

Certifications

Safety
UL/cUL, CB Scheme, EN 62368-1
Vehicle
E-Mark, SAE J1455
Security
FIPS 140-3 Level 1 in process (R980 FIPS models only)
Shock Vibration
MIL-STD-810H 514.8 vibration; 516.8 Procedure I and V shock
Hazardous Locations
Class I Div 2
Flame Smoke Toxicity
BSS 7239
Substance Compliance
WEEE, RoHS, REACH, California Prop 65
North American Fire Safety
NFPA 130

Edge Computing

CPU
Dual-core ARMv8 64-bit
Memory
Up to 921 MB
Applications
Docker containerized applications
Flash Storage
Up to 8 GB

Product Summary

PoE
No
Wi-Fi
Dual-band, dual-concurrent 802.11ax (Wi-Fi 6)
Category
Mobile, IoT
GPS GNSS
Active
5G Status
5G embedded
Bluetooth
No
USB Ports
1
Throughput
940 Mbps (firewall)
Form Factor
Ruggedized metal
VPN Tunnels
20
Serial Ports
Yes, with adapter
Ethernet Ports
2 x GbE (LAN/WAN switchable)
Cloud Management
Yes
Special Features
Containers, SDK, serial port with accessory cable
Dual Modem Support
Yes, with captive modem
Wireless Connectivity
5G and Cat 19 LTE
Private Cellular Network
Yes: CBRS, 4G LTE, 5G
Network Operator Standards
PTCRB (U.S.), GCF (global)

Questions buyers ask

Is this R980 SKU usable outside the U.S.?

Yes. MBA3-R980-5GD-A is the global configuration for the U.S., Canada, European Union, United Kingdom, Australia and New Zealand, with FCC, IC, CE, UKCA and RCM approvals.

Does it include antennas or a power supply?

No. It ships without an AC power supply or antennas. It uses SMA connectors for external 600 MHz–6 GHz cellular antennas and runs on 9–36 VDC.

What subscription is included?

A 3-year Ericsson NetCloud Mobile Essentials + Advanced plan, covering NetCloud Manager, software updates and 24x7 support for the term.

Does the R980 support 5G standalone networks?

Yes. The modem supports both 5G NSA and SA, with peak rates up to 3.4 Gbps down on NSA and 2.4 Gbps on SA, and falls back to LTE Advanced Pro Category 19.

How many SIMs does it support?

It has two 4FF SIM slots plus embedded MFF2 eSIM hardware supporting up to eight carrier profiles.

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