Connecting people is more important than ever. The escalating demand for multi-gigabit wireless connectivity is being driven by the COVID pandemic and anticipation of 5G fixed wireless access as an alternative to fiber. There is another reason for the excitement: the technology is here now. The timing couldn’t be more perfect for the new 802.11 standard and Terragraph technology. It is now possible to deliver reliable, multi-gigabit wireless broadband at the edge of the network. With dramatically lower costs and time to deploy, the possibilities are nearly endless.
Why use millimeter wave technology?
Fixed wireless technology has been around for years. The current view of fixed wireless is an image of radios on tall towers in rural locations, beaming down to the areas below. Today, we are bringing fixed wireless down to earth, literally. Distributing the wireless backhaul from point-to-point, it can expand out and spread across areas where coverage is needed. Millimeter technology ranges are shorter, but with beamforming of physical size being so much smaller, these radios could be strong together and lower to the ground. Use the side of the buildings, rooftops and streetlamps to get the coverage and density needed in campuses, town centers and urban areas.
With the latest technologies, including channel bonding and improvements to the MAC and PHY layers, these software-defined radios deliver multi-gigabit, fiber-like performance and can be easily installed on light poles or buildings.
Who is benefiting from multi-gigabit wireless?
Multi-gigabit wireless performance is now literally within reach, without the time and cost of complex infrastructure. Now, city centers can provide public Wi-Fi to revitalize communities and their local businesses. Hospitals and universities can provide blanket coverage across their campus. Retail and hospitality enterprises can provide connectivity to guests. Industries can rapidly connect sensors and controls to deliver the efficiencies of IoT initiatives.
The fact is that these solutions are being deployed today. As we emerge from the pandemic, we will be returning to a dramatically more connected world than we had before.
View the full recorded video of Antony’s presentation: “60 GHz Multi-Gigabit Fixed Wireless, Something for Everyone.”