WISPAPALOOZA Show Daily Day 3

www. WISPA .org 9 www.bekabusinessmedia.com DAY 3 T he advent of 5G, additional spectrum and advances in network equipment and customer premises equipment (CPE) are transforming the fixed wireless access from a “last resort” broadband option into a viable competitive alternative, affirms a new report by wireless consultancy Mobile Ecosystem. Providing a detailed analysis of the business case for fixed wireless access in different scenarios, the report highlights there is an opportunity for fixed wireless access in most markets although not all in the same way. There is not one solution that fits all, it claims. “Even with all the spectrum, technology and policy elements coming together to create the opportunity for fixed wireless to become part of the mainstream broadband mix, there is no one-size-fits all solution,” said Mark Lowenstein, managing director at Mobile Ecosystem and author of the report. “The business case for FWA varies not only from country to country but liter- ally by city and neighborhood, with key factors such as the existing fixed broadband situation, the status and cost of fiber-based solutions, population density, topography and available/ planned spectrum capacity all coming into play.” Focusing on developed country markets, primarily in the U.S., Canada, Western Europe, Australia and New Zealand, the report compares 5G mmWave and 5G/LTE sub- 6 GHz based options. It also compares the fixed wireless access option to fiber-to-the-home (FTTH) and fiber-to-the-distribution point (FTTdp) solutions, plotting capital expenditure, operating expenditure, CPE and installation variables against key market factors such as density, spectrum breadth and depth and topography to develop a revenue model. For dense urban markets, the report high- lights that mmWave provides a good alternative, especially where there is only one fixed broad- band provider and where FTTH is underbuilt or costly to install, such as many cities in the United States. Until recently, wireless could not physically or economically offer a viable alterna- tive to fixed broadband access, but this is about to change, the report concludes. In lower-density urban/dense suburban scenarios, the expected availability of 3.5 GHz spectrum is expected to make fixed wireless access viable in sub-6 GHz spectrum for both 5G and LTE in a number of markets, espe- cially where there is decent density and an operator can achieve 40 percent or greater penetration of households. The opportunity for fixed wireless access in low-density suburban/ rural markets is more case-by-case, the report continues, and is most compelling where the existing fixed broadband infrastructure is sub-par or lacks a compelling roadmap. “Careful consideration also needs to be taken when it comes to CPE as it is an integral part of the overall solution and needs to ensure the speed, reliability and support required in fixed broadband, unlike mobile broadband,” continued Lowenstein. m Report Confirms FWA Widens Broadband Market