What is 5G FWA?
What is FWA?
FWA is the abbreviation of English fixed wireless access, Chinese called "fixed wireless access", which specifically refers to the access mode of wireless transmission from the service node to the user terminal. The 5G FWA is mainly by deploying 5G base stations near the user, and then connecting the 5G antenna transmission beam to the 5G CPE terminal equipment in the user's home, converting the 5G network signal into a network connection such as WIFI, and then the terminal equipment can connect to the 5G network.
Advantages of 5G FWA
5G FWA is mainly used to connect the "unconnected population", a country's communication infrastructure construction, usually with the country's economy, technology, population, geography and other factors have a strong correlation, for those areas that are sparsely populated and the cost of laying optical fiber is high, it is difficult to receive an ideal return on investment; And in some areas with strict right-of-way restrictions, the opposition of local residents also restricts fiber distribution facilities; Other cities are historic and cannot be constructed.
For the above situations, 5G FWA does not need to obtain the right of way, dig trenches and bury cables, drill holes through walls, etc., based on the large bandwidth capacity of 5G NR, it can replace optical fiber and access the last mile of network access.
The future development trend of 5G FWA
According to Ericsson's November 2022 Mobile Market Report, 238 of the 310 operators surveyed worldwide offer FWA services, accounting for 77%. By the end of last year, there were more than 100 million FWA connections worldwide. Global connections are expected to triple to more than 300 million by 2028, while 5G FWA connections are expected to reach around 235 million by 2028, accounting for 80% of total connections.
In emerging countries, fixed broadband is currently not widely available, and of the more than 51 million small businesses in India, only 1 million have access to wired broadband, severely limiting not only their respective expansion prospects but also India's economic growth potential. Even in areas with broadband access and low costs, 5G FWA can be used to support simple SD-WAN traffic bursts and backups, so it is foreseeable that the next 5 years will be the best time for 5G FWA development.
5G FWA is more cost-effective and economical than fiber optic fixed broadband, and Felicomm recommends that microwaves be used to connect devices in sparsely populated areas, but the ability of microwaves to penetrate common building materials is low, and 5G CPE (wireless bridge) is recommended in densely built areas.
It is hoped that the 5G FWA equipment provided by Felicomm can provide a new choice for enterprise, industrial, and consumer application scenarios with large network capacity and low latency extreme performance requirements.