5G Fixed Wireless Internet and Satellite Internet

 - Wireless Broadband

Wireless Broadband (WiBB) service is a high-speed Internet service in which data is transmitted over a WLAN (Wireless Local Area Network) or WWAN (Wireless Wide Area Network). In a WWAN network, high-speed internet is provided by the Internet Service Provider (ISP) directly to the modem or consumer's device. 

Also, in the context of WWAN, it is often referred to as a broadband network as a reference to its high-speed internet. Since the FCC has defined that broadband networks should be 25 Mbps or higher, WWANs with speeds above 25 Mbps are called wireless broadband.

There are two types of wireless broadband:  

• Fixed wireless broadband: In a fixed wireless broadband network, connected devices are somehow fixed in one place, such as an office or research institute. These services are similar to DSL connections; however, here fixed WiBB uses a wireless network rather than copper cables.
• Mobile Wireless Broadband: Mobile WiBB provides high-speed Internet over a wireless network to randomly located mobile phone networks. An example of mobile wireless broadband is a cellular broadband network.

- Cellular Wireless Broadband

In a cellular wireless broadband connection, high-speed internet is provided to consumers by a telecommunications company or cellular network provider. Here, data is transmitted and received by the base station and wirelessly transmits the data directly to the consumer's device, such as their modem or mobile phone. 

Cellular networks can have their own advantages and disadvantages, for example modems for cellular wireless networks can be very cheap and they work very efficiently, except in rural areas where the network might not be as strong as it should be. As the number of users in the area increases and cellular wireless broadband connections increase, the network may slow down.

- 5G FWA: Game Changer for Fixed Broadband

Fixed Wireless Access (FWA) is an established means of providing Internet access to homes using wireless mobile network technology rather than fixed lines. FWA enables network operators to deliver ultra-high-speed broadband to suburban and rural areas, supporting home and business applications where fiber is prohibitively expensive to lay and maintain. For the first time, the advent of 5G is allowing mobile technology to intersect with the demands of fixed line services and price points. 5G FWA employs standardized 3GPP architectures and common mobile components to deliver ultra-high-speed broadband services to residential subscribers and enterprise customers.

While FWA can often prove more convenient to set up, its key weakness compared to fixed line broadband is performance. Current mobile network technology (4G LTE) simply isn’t able to provide download speeds or latency levels that can compete with a modern fibre broadband connection. However, the next stage of FWA will utilise 5G network technology, such as beam-forming and a high-frequency mmWave (millimeter wave) spectrum, to provide a considerable performance boost to wireless broadband services.

In addition, previous FWA initiatives failed due to the proprietary nature of the technology they employed. This resulted in a poor ecosystem of equipment vendors and support, which consequently reduced competitive choices and increases prices. In contrast, the 5G supplier ecosystem is already large and continually growing, with the addition of standardized User Equipment (UE), merchant silicon and mobile networking equipment that can be reused for FWA with no modification. 

5G FWA retains the key benefit of current FWA offerings in that it enables the establishment of a quick and cheap broadband service, even in areas that don’t have ready access to fixed line home broadband. 5G FWA doesn’t require any engineering works at the customer end - just the provision of so-called Customer Premise Equipment (CPEs), which can be readily self-installed by the subscriber.

- Fixed Wireless Internet

Fixed Wireless Access (FWA) is a fast growing solution to increased demand in Internet usage, particularly when a third of the population is working from home. More than 1 billion homes worldwide still find themselves without a regular broadband connection. FWA is an established means of providing Internet access to homes using wireless mobile network technology rather than fixed lines. For example, current A&T Fixed Wireless Internet delivers high-speed Internet service to eligible rural households and small businesses via an outdoor antenna and indoor Wi-Fi Gateway router.

Fixed wireless Internet is different from more common connections like xDSL. Instead of using a xDSL it brings the Internet signal to your home via radio waves transmitted by a base station. When you opt for fixed wireless Internet, your provider will install a receiver on your house. It will communicate with the nearest wireless base station and offer you access to the web via a cable carrying the broadband signal from the receiver to the router in your house. 

Fixed wireless Internet is mainly used in rural areas where setting up the infrastructure for broadband services like xDSL (or cable, fiber) is prohibitively expensive. Transporting and burying cables in the ground and getting the necessary permits can be expensive. So it doesn’t make financial sense for service providers to go down this road in less populated areas, where they can’t get enough subscribers on board to justify the total costs. 

The problem with fixed wireless Internet is that the connection isn’t always stable. Rain, fog, and other weather conditions can affect its strength. There also has to be a line of sight between the receiver on your house and the wireless base station. Obstructions such as trees and hills can affect the quality of the service and can even prevent it from being set up.

With the growing infrastructure of wireless networks, and improving speed and reliability, fixed wireless has also become a viable solution for broadband access. Businesses and homes can use fixed-wireless antenna technology to access broadband Internet and Layer 2 networks using fixed wireless broadband. Networks which have redundancy and saturation and antennas that can aggregate signal from multiple carriers are able to offer fail-over and redundancy for connectivity not generally afforded by wired connections. In rural areas where wired infrastructure is not yet available, fixed-wireless broadband can be a viable option for Internet access.

[A Beautiful Sunrise over Earth]

- Satellite Internet  

Satellite Internet is another option for those living in areas where fixed broadband services are not available. Although it also requires a dish and provides you with high-speed Internet access without using a phone or cable line, satellite is different from fixed wireless in many ways. 

Customers who live in remote locations, such as farms, deserts, and mountainous areas, may require a satellite Internet service. This involves transmitting and receiving data from a satellite orbiting about 22,000 miles above the earth. Although satellite communication is not as fast as other mediums, it does provide flexibility with limited environmental impact, and there is not as much need for support from the local telecommunications company. These satellite terminals can also be used when setting up natural disaster recovery centers. For example, FEMA used a satellite terminal during Hurricane Katrina, since the public telecommunication infrastructure was severely damaged.

- 5G Internet vs Satellite Internet for Rural Customers