FWA (Fixed Wireless Access) technology in the 26/28 GHz band
What is FWA?
FWA (Fixed Wireless Access) means a point-to-multipoint radio technology used by modern telecommunication and data networks operators that can be briefly characterised as follows:
- Fixed – means that unlike mobile networks, fixed network end points do not move; they are fixed, typically on the customer’s building. From the user’s point of view, such connection behaves as a “fixed line” although this is a wireless transmission.
- Wireless – denotes the physical transmission medium, which is a radio link – in the reserved (licensed) 26 and 28 GHzv frequency bands in this case. The use of this band is regulated by the Czech Telecommunications Office, and may only be operated by relevant licence holders. Owing to this, the connection quality and reliability reached is equivalent to those of terrestrial networks.
- Access – defines that this technology is intended for access networks, i.e. for the infrastructure ensuring user (customer) connection to backbone telecommunication network nodes (the backbone networks then serve for interconnecting these nodes). The figure shows a general FWA network diagram.
Apart from the transmission capacity offered, FWA differs from WiFi networks mainly by using a reserved (licensed) frequency spectrum and a specific transmission protocol – this means that there is no risk of interfering with other band users, and it is not possible to connect to the FWA network though a “foreign” terminal. In addition, the range of FWA network services is much broader and is not only limited to access to the Internet, as described below. FWA on the Czech market – brief recapitulation The FWA (Fixed Wireless Access) networks in the 26 or 28 GHz frequency bands started to develop in this country after granting licences to three operators in 2000, or 2004 respectively. Since the beginning, they have proven to be networks providing quality broadband services with guaranteed parameters. Unlike the previously very widespread wireless connection in free bands (2.4 GHz in particular), they have become a full-valued alternative to terrestrial digital circuits and won thousands of customers, mainly from the segment of firms and organisations.
Today, almost all major telecommunication operators and Internet Service Providers (ISP) in the Czech Republic use the connection via the FWA for their clients, for whom FWA is the first widely available and sufficiently flexible alternative to terrestrial digital circuits. FWA has become a well-established and successful technology on the Czech market that makes a standard part of the portfolio of services commonly offered in the segment of firms and organisations: it is used mainly for telephone services (standard or VoIP services), data services and Internet connection.
It is to say that over several years, FWA networks have brought about a real last-mile market recovery:
- Marked competitive environment in the professional services segment;
- Falling price for the access capacity (more than a 50% decrease over a couple of years);
- Higher availability of services to the customers; and
- Their passage to broadband services.