Device Vendors Getting Ready for 5G Fixed Wireless Broadband Deployments

5G fixed wireless gateways were among the highlights of Mobile World Congress (MWC) 2019 in February, as device makers including Nokia, Huawei, and NetComm Wireless showcased their 5G fixed wireless gateways. In addition to Customer Premises Equipment (CPE) announcements, chipset giant Qualcomm also announced a 5G CPE reference design for fixed wireless home gateway products in sub-6GHz and mmWave. Since 5G fixed wireless service launched in the United States in October 2018, infrastructure vendors, equipment makers, and service providers have been working toward commercial deployments. Recent CPE announcements are expected to speed up the deployment process even more, and the telecommunications industry is likely to see a few more commercial launches of 5G fixed wireless broadband services in 2019.

Qualcomm’s 5G reference design for fixed wireless home gateways offers both sub-6GHz and mmWave in order to support different deployment scenarios as operators look into sub-6GHz (3.3-3.8 GHz) for wide area coverage and 24-48 GHz for providing higher bandwidths in densely populated areas.

Nokia FastMile 5G Gateway is an indoor device that operates in sub-6GHz spectrum band. The device is 4G network compatible, allowing service providers to offer services over 4G networks or upgrade to 5G in the future. The device includes Wi-Fi and four Ethernet ports for in-home network extension. In cases where an outdoor receiver is required, the device can easily be self-installed with the support of a mobile app.

NetComm’s 5G fixed wireless broadband CPE includes an indoor desk mount, indoor window mount, outdoor wall mount, and an outdoor mount, allowing service providers to deploy the best suitable device based on the location of the customer’s premises. The devices support both sub 6-GHz and mmWave enabling service providers to deploy in different scenarios. Similar to Nokia’s FastMile 5G CPE, NetComm’s CPE is also accompanied by self-installation features via a mobile app.

Huawei showcased 5G CPE Pro for fixed wireless broadband users. The CPE is based on Huawei’s 5G multi-mode chipset, Balong 5000, supporting 5G/4G as well as 2G/3G mobile technologies. It supports 802.11 ax Wi-Fi and in demonstration has achieved 4.6 Gbps speed when running in sub-6GHz band and up to 6.5 Gbps in mmWave.

Fixed wireless broadband has been provided by service providers using LTE and other proprietary technologies. The services are mainly targeted toward underserved populations in rural areas. As 5G arrives, fixed wireless will no longer be limited to rural areas. The capacity supported by 5G technology will enable operators to provide fixed wireless broadband to more populated areas where fiber penetration is low while still upgrading existing bandwidth capabilities. The 5G fixed wireless broadband service offered by Verizon supports the typical speed of 300 Mbps, which is significantly higher than the average broadband speed (25 Mbps) accessible to 98% of the country’s population.

As service providers plan to deploy fixed wireless broadband to areas that already have decent broadband access, the quality of service and user experience (UX) needs to be better than or comparable with existing fixed broadband services. Service providers need to keep in mind that residential broadband users demand fixed wireless broadband to provide a similar experience to fixed broadband services. Efficient capacity planning is important, since broadband users prefer unlimited monthly data usage similar to that offered by fixed broadband services. Fixed wireless broadband services available today usually require an external antenna and indoor CPE, which require a technician’s assistance to be installed. The ability to provide simple configuration and installation processes will help provide better UX in addition to saving time and costs related to technical assistance. Even though self-installation, depending on the location of a household relative to a basestation, may not work for every customer, enabling the best possible solutions for CPE installation without a technician’s visit to consumers’ homes is truly helpful for both service providers and end users.

NetComm’s CPE, which provides options such as indoor, roof-top, or window mounting, is one example of simplifying CPE installation processes based on the conditions of a customer’s premises. Self-installation apps that accompany CPE are indeed helpful for saving customers time and installation costs and can in turn make it easier for service providers to market their fixed wireless broadband services. In addition to CPE, service providers need to make the right spectrum choices for successful deployment. Spectrum choice between mmWave and sub-6GHz bands needs to be selected based on spectrum availability, bandwidth requirement, and population density in different areas of deployment. Ultimately, integrating other services, like video streaming, in addition to providing broadband access will encourage consumers to move to higher speed broadband as well as enable service providers to generate more revenue from their investments.