Fixed Wireless Access is already very popular with millions of consumers in the U.S. And FWA’s adoption is now primed to rapidly expand worldwide.

On the cellular side, FWA can be affected by weather conditions and transmission issues through physical objects outside the home. And cellular is a shared public network so actual broadband speeds will vary depending on how busy the local cellular network is.
As a result, the Wi-Fi side of the broadband provision must be managed and optimized as much possible in order to compensate, which is where Airties’ expertise becomes vital.

As for any other broadband access technology, a router is required to deliver the service to the home.  This is no different for 5G Fixed Wireless Access, except for the placement of this cellular broadband router at a suitable location near a window where the 5G signal is strongest.

The homeowner can then use an app to enter their broadband credentials, manage their Wi-Fi network and even install some Wi-Fi mesh range extenders, if needed.
It is important to note that a managed Wi-Fi solution is even more critical for the success of 5G broadband networks due to the relatively « off-center » positioining of the router, which is typically near a window rather than at a central position in the home.

There is some debate that 5G could eventually replace Wi-Fi in the home. But at Airties, we don’t see that happening. While 5G is great outdoors, its high operating frequencies make it difficult for it to penetrate deep inside homes and buildings. Here Wi-Fi is a far more capable ‘whole home’ solution. And the vast majority of connected devices (anywhere between 10 and 25 per home depending on the market) are designed to connect through Wi-Fi and have no mobile LTE capability.

The price for consumers is determined by the broadband operator, and for many of those, 5G/FWA is just one of several different broadband offers they propose.
However, from an infrastructure point of view, cellular can often provide a more cost-effective solution than wireline-based broadband because it gives the option of not having to dig up a single road to install or upgrade to fiber. Nor does it require an engineer to install in the home.

Find some more information about FWA and Airties capabilities in the links below:

• Airties Collaborates with Qualcomm to Accelerate 5G Fixed Wireless Adoption with Broadband Carriers