Multiple tenants and apartments can now receive gigabit broadband connectivity through a single 5G fixed wireless access (FWA) connection by reusing the building’s existing infrastructure, according to a technical report published by the Broadband Forum.
The new specification solves challenges prevalent in multi-dwelling units (MDUs), such as the limited availability of service options for subscribers beyond 1 Gbps in buildings that lack fiber-based access, and performance or coverage limitations of FWA for individual tenants in large buildings, Broadband Forum said. The solution also allows apartments to be reached using the existing property infrastructure, including twisted pair, telephone wiring or coaxial cabling from the attic or basement of the building, according to officials.
“This publication is a gamechanger for broadband service providers and will ensure that customers, regardless of what type of property they reside in, are served equally when it comes to broadband connectivity,” said Mike Talbert, Broadband Forum’s multi-tenant FWA project stream lead and senior director of technology at Wistron NeWeb Corp. “By reusing the existing in-building infrastructure, multiple tenants can be served with one 5G FWA connection, and this specification promises more efficient use of 5G resources, simplified and unified management, and reduced operating costs for operators.”
FWA establishes a connection over a radio link for communications between a base station and user equipment, such as 5G modems, that are typically installed in the apartment.
For radio frequencies below 6 GHz, a 5G network is suitable to provide broadband services with a high-level of coverage. But for gigabit-level or multi-gigabit speeds, BSPs want to make use of high-band “Frequency Range 2” 5G mmWave spectrum at 24-40 GHz. This spectrum range has additional signal attenuation when travelling through walls or building materials, so architectures that employ outdoor CPE devices are favored to maximize performance, according to Broadband Forum.
“In the past, restrictions set by property owners or the design of existing MDU buildings have limited the possibilities for making high-capacity broadband services available to these subscribers,” said Christele Bouchat, Broadband Forum’s network architecture work area co-director, who is also strategy and standardization manager at Nokia. “The latest specification addresses these limitations by allowing the installation of a high-performance 5G outdoor FWA system that can be shared by potentially dozens of tenants and connected through existing cabling already in the building.”
The project began in 2023 and has defined the architecture and requirements for serving multiple tenants in an MDU via FWA through converged and pure 5G network approaches, the Broadband Forum said. Publications available for download include the TR-507 “Multi-Tenant 5G FWA” technical report and an MR-516 marketing report on the benefits of multi-tenant FWA.
