2023 the Year Fixed Wireless became the 'new' Fiber?
John Hargrove, PE TX
Chief Operating Officer @ Evergreen Technology Solutions, LLC | President, Economic Development
Fiber is difficult, expensive, and a good solution—practically unlimited bandwidth. So far is not well suited for rural spacing of people groups due to the cost factors.
Fixed Wireless now shows in several cutting-edge vendors that in the bands that can provide 10 Mhz or larger channel sizes, sufficient broadband is delivered to each customer comparable to fiber and cable services.
Reliable, usable, unlimited broadband data is what people need. For most users, anything beyond 50 Mbps downloads and 10 Mbps upload is simply bragging rights for numbers. Everyone needs low latency (a hallmark of Fixed Wireless) and reliable 24x7 delivery of broadband.
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The Rural spaces, the gaps where small clusters of people live, still need to be included in the majority of tax-supported grant/load programs due to the ill-advised focus requirement of fiber and 100x100 symmetry speeds. These requirements of fiber and 100x100 symmetry cause these low population areas to become the second priority in the make the best choices, the priority of choosing who and where to serve with the new money coming in. Discrimination of where you choose to live should not prevent a usable broadband connection from being available in the new era of possible lockdowns and pandemics.
The technical capabilities of Fixed wireless to provide good reliable broadband are here now. Entire counties can be covered for a fraction of the cost of the expensive fiber grant-designed based systems. Fixed Wireless can be deployed in months for a part of a county or about two to three years for a typical county, whereas the fiber deployments will take a decade or more to get the rural low population gaps filled in (if they ever do).
Many are saying good internet is a right. If it is, then the current federal and state focus on fiber only, and 100x100 symmetry is a poor way to offer a natural solution that helps the rural spaces.
Business Development Strategist - Burns & McDonnell
2 年We often referred to our SONET microwave system as “wireless fiber” since it was one leg of a hybrid ring and the system ran at OC3 speeds. While none of us are sure what the future holds, I suspect that 100x100Mbps speeds in rural settings should get it done. Wireless has to be the equivalent of last mile fiber. Cheers
Owner, Thomson Engineering, Inc.
2 年I would be happy with that if I had options. Presently it is a monopoly, you get what they want to deliver at their price point period.
Cybersecurity. Space. Disasters.
2 年YES!!! I was with a rural county and we'd have been happy to have been able to provide those speeds to citizens.
Industrial (OT) Networking SME | Owner at Traceroute | Advisory Board Member
2 年“For most users, anything beyond 50 Mbps downloads and 10 Mbps upload is simply bragging rights for numbers.” Preach. Sure there are exceptions, but you said “most” and I totally agree.