Fixed Wireless Access Helps Provide 'Last Mile' Connectivity In 5G Coverage Areas
While wired providers have made impressive progress in expanding high-speed broadband services and increasing coverage, there are still many locations where consumers and businesses lack access to the level of Internet performance that's necessary in today's increasingly virtual world. In response, fixed wireless access (FWA) has emerged as a potential solution, but many people are still unsure about what it entails.
Fixed wireless access technology addresses the digital divide by filling in the gaps in wired coverage and facilitating the rapid establishment of connections to various sites. It is projected that the number of FWA connections will rise significantly, from 100 million in 2022 to 230 million in 2027. Around half of these total connections will be attributed to 5G fixed wireless access.
What Is Fixed Wireless Access?
The ability to supply broadband connectivity to a fixed location by broadcasting a wireless Internet signal from nearby towers to wireless receivers is called "fixed wireless access" (FWA).
FWA is a hybrid of WAN and a subcomponent of Wireless WAN (WWAN) that can support branch and remove locations in three ways:
- Providing a primary wireless or wireless- connectivity solution
- Providing the connectivity for a hybrid WAN solution where both wired and wireless access are accessible
- Creating a wireless failover link
Until recently, broadband suppliers focused on wired-line offerings and FWA didn't receive much attention. However, as LTE speeds increased and 5G availability has continued to expand and is growing as a sought-after primary connection, FWA has become more mainstream. In fact, according to a report by JC Market Research, the FWA market will be valued at roughly $21.7 billion by 2029.
The Benefits of FWA For Enterprise Business Customers
FWA was originally designed as a means of providing Internet access to the millions of homes around the world that lack broadband access. However, businesses have begun exploring how they can take advantage of the benefits of FWA.
Many businesses are finding that in addition to providing a diverse failover link to ensure uptime, fixed LTE and 5G also enable them to use a pooled or "flat rate" data plan from a single carrier to provide connectivity to their various business locations. This is both an economic and operational advantage, as there is no longer a need to manage multiple bills and agreements from multiple vendors. Carriers are also beginning to roll out new plans with limited or fixed rates, mirroring the consistency of wireline pricing, and allowing businesses to budget their monthly expenses more accurately.
A 2020 study undertaken by Nemertes reported that 80% of participants found "WWAN performance to be as good or better than wired connectivity for loss, latency, and jitter," with two-thirds of the surveyed group finding it to be "as good or better" than their existing wired WAN links. A year later, in 2021, an IDG and Cradlepoint study found that nearly 50% of all businesses using 4G or 5G connectivity "use it as the only WAN link for at least some of their brand locations."
5 G's Impact On The Appeal Of Fixed Wireless Access?
In the past, businesses have been concerned that they would not be able to achieve the same level of performance with wireless connections as they can with wired broadband. However, 5G is helping to change that perception with unprecedented speed, bandwidth, and latency.
When compared to wired connections, 5G fixed wireless access can provide:
- Increased access and coverage in locations that have traditionally lacked access to established or affordable wired solutions
- Bandwidth solutions that can support thousands of devices, users, applications, and IoT connections
- Expanded potential for advanced SD-WAN including application-centric traffic steering, in-depth cellular insights, and cellular-optimized quality of experience (QoE)
- Improved agility that has resulted in increased scalability, network uptime, and rapid deployment capabilities
We anticipate that FWA will continue gaining increased adoption rates among businesses - especially those supporting multiple retail or branch locations.
About USAT
Our team not only helps you select, provision, and activate devices, we make sure they work in practical applications and real-life situations.
For over 25 years, USAT has provided cellular communications solutions for government agencies and private enterprises across the USA. With our extensive catalog of world-class routers, gateways, and software designed for remote monitoring and management in even the harshest environments — you can count on us to get and keep you connected.
Advanced always-on connectivity translates to less manual equipment maintenance, reduced downtime, and an overall increase in your business's ROI. Contact the experts at USAT to learn how our wireless networking solutions can help meet your organization's exacting needs.
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