Fixed wireless broadband is experiencing a renaissance. With expanding use cases and more demand with the recent pandemic, everyone’s figuring out how to do everything from home. Over-the-top media has exploded, and industrial automation is becoming more prevalent. Governments around the world are making more spectrum available every day. The supporting standards like 3GPP and 5G NR are utilizing technology that’s enabling them to become practical.
What does this mean for fixed wireless networks? Ultra-reliable, low-latency communications are important. Sub-one-millisecond latency and super-reliable communications allow for many new use cases to be developed and uses over these networks. Higher data rates, lower latency, increasing density of networks all apply to both fixed and mobile networks. The improved symmetry of a fixed 5G network can allow for new verticals and new use cases. And a private 5G fixed network can be applied as well.
One of the key 5G radio techniques – namely MIMO and multi-user MIMO – apply to fixed wireless. What this means is that fixed wireless now has multiple large numbers of steerable antenna elements. We’re approaching the radio such that we’re maximizing the theoretical limits of the amount of data that can be transmitted across that link.
So, why would you consider a 5G fixed solution? There are several reasons. Namely:
- Time to market – The 5G fixed solution from Cambium is simple and has no complex infrastructure. Fiber rollout can take months or years, is time consuming and is only applicable where there’s enough density to support it.
- Capital and operating expense – A 5G fixed solution is much less expensive than that of a 5G mobile solution or even fiber, especially when the density becomes less than that of an urban area.
- Futureproof your investment – With a software-defined radio, Cambium Networks’ fixed wireless solutions will easily migrate to the 5G standards when they become available.
Take a few minutes to view my recorded presentation from Cambium Connections to learn more about providing wireless gigabit speeds where fiber and mobile technologies are cost-prohibitive.
To view the entire recording of the full Cambium Connections session, including 60 GHz case studies, network operator panels and Q&A sessions, please register for any or all of the sessions at the links below: