Fixed Wireless Access (FWA): The future of connectivity?

What is Fixed Wireless Access?

Fixed Wireless Access (FWA) is a method of delivering internet to homes and businesses using wireless cellular technology instead of wired connections like DSL, cable, or fiber. Think of it as a high-powered Wi-Fi connection that can stretch for miles.

The core idea is simple. Rather than laying physical cables, an internet provider uses a cellular network to deliver connectivity. This network connects to a fixed antenna at your home or office, giving you fast internet without the need for traditional infrastructure.

Why is FWA important?

FWA is becoming increasingly important for two main reasons: coverage and cost. Traditional wired infrastructure can be expensive and time-consuming to install, especially in rural or hard-to-reach areas. In contrast, FWA can bring reliable internet to places where wired connections would take years or even decades to deploy. It’s no surprise that worldwide Fixed Wireless Access (FWA) subscriptions are growing at a 14% CAGR through 2029 and are set to reach almost 265 million premises by 2029.

With 5G technology on the rise, FWA is expected to become even more powerful. 5G promises ultra-fast speeds and low latency, making it an ideal solution for businesses and consumers alike.

How does FWA work?

FWA uses the same network as your mobile phone and your cellular IoT devices — 3G, 4G LTE, or even the latest 5G network. Here’s how it works:

• Base station: A local base station (usually a cell tower) sends a wireless signal to a specific area. This station acts as the hub for the internet connection.
• Receiver: Your home or office is equipped with a fixed receiver, often a small antenna, mounted on the building. This receiver catches the signal from the base station.
• Internet router: The signal is then transferred to a router inside your building, which broadcasts the internet through Wi-Fi or Ethernet, just like a typical home network.

Benefits of FWA

Because FWA uses cellular networks, it avoids the need for underground cabling or fiber installations which offers significant benefits over wired internet access.

• Fast deployment: Without the need for cables, permits, and obtaining right of ways, FWA can be set up quickly, often within days instead of weeks or months.
• Cost-effective: In areas where laying cable is expensive, FWA provides a more affordable option for both the provider and the customer.
• Scalability: Providers can easily expand coverage by adding more base stations or upgrading existing towers.
• Flexibility: Because it’s wireless, FWA can serve rural areas, suburban developments, and even urban environments where fiber might be unavailable.
• 5G performance: With 5G networks expanding rapidly, FWA will offer higher speeds, lower latency, and improved performance, making it comparable to wired internet options like fiber or cable.

Challenges of FWA

While FWA offers many advantages, there are some challenges to consider:

• Signal interference: FWA is susceptible to signal interference from obstacles like buildings, trees, and bad weather. This can impact performance in certain areas.
• Limited coverage: While it can reach areas where cables can’t, FWA coverage is still dependent on the proximity to the nearest cell tower or base station.
• Variable speeds: Depending on the quality of the network, FWA speeds can fluctuate, especially during peak usage times. This might not be ideal for high-bandwidth applications in some cases.

Expanding IoT use cases across industries with FWA

As IoT devices become more integrated into various sectors, the need for reliable and scalable connectivity is crucial. FWA provides a flexible and cost-effective solution for connecting Cellular IoT devices, especially in areas where traditional infrastructure is limited or non-existent.

Smart agriculture

In rural and agricultural areas, where connectivity options are often limited, FWA can be a lifeline. IoT devices are increasingly being used in farming to monitor soil conditions, track livestock, and automate irrigation systems. These devices require reliable, always-on connectivity, and FWA offers a practical solution without the need for costly underground cabling. Farmers can use Cellular IoT sensors connected via FWA to increase their coverage area, improve crop yields, monitor the health of their livestock, and optimize water usage — all in real-time.

Smart cities

Smart cities rely on thousands of IoT sensors and devices to manage everything from traffic flow to energy consumption. FWA can provide the high-speed, low-latency connectivity that these devices need to communicate with central systems in real-time. Whether it’s controlling streetlights, managing waste collection, or monitoring air quality, FWA is a scalable solution for deploying and maintaining Cellular IoT networks in urban environments. As 5G-enabled FWA expands, it can support even more bandwidth-intensive applications like smart grids and autonomous vehicles.

Remote monitoring and asset tracking

For industries such as mining, oil and gas, and logistics, where assets are often spread over large geographic areas, FWA is ideal for providing connectivity in remote or hard-to-reach locations. IoT devices used for monitoring equipment health, tracking the location of assets, and ensuring operational safety can be easily connected through FWA. This allows companies to keep an eye on critical infrastructure without having to rely on traditional wired networks, which may be costly or impossible to deploy in such environments. FWA also enables industries to quickly modernize their connectivity infrastructure.

Healthcare and remote clinics

In healthcare, the rise of telemedicine and connected medical devices is transforming patient care. FWA can enable remote clinics and healthcare facilities to connect IoT-enabled medical devices that monitor patient vitals, track equipment usage, and store patient records securely. For rural or underserved areas, FWA can help bridge the digital divide by ensuring that healthcare professionals have reliable access to critical information and real-time communication with specialists in larger urban centers.

Industrial IoT (IIoT)

Manufacturing plants and warehouses often deploy hundreds of IoT devices to automate processes, track inventory, and monitor equipment. FWA provides a flexible connectivity solution that can support these applications with minimal setup. In the transition to Industry 4.0, manufacturing sites can deploy FWA to connect IIoT devices that manage production lines, monitor supply chains, and maintain equipment health. The flexibility of FWA is especially beneficial in industrial environments where mobility and scalability are key, and physical wiring could be disruptive to operations.

Emergency services and disaster recovery

When natural disasters strike, traditional communication infrastructure is often damaged or overwhelmed. FWA can be rapidly deployed to restore connectivity, allowing emergency responders to use IoT devices like drones, sensors, and communication systems to coordinate rescue efforts. Additionally, FWA can support temporary IoT networks for monitoring conditions such as flood levels or air quality during recovery operations. Its quick setup and ability to function independently of wired networks make it ideal for emergency and disaster recovery scenarios.

Looking ahead

As 5G continues to roll out globally, FWA is set to become a major player in the internet market. With faster speeds and broader coverage, it could rival traditional wired connections in performance, making it an attractive option for both consumers and businesses. The integration of FWA into Cellular IoT use cases is a perfect example of how this technology will reshape industries, offering scalable, reliable, and cost-effective solutions.

How Hologram can help deliver outage-free connectivity for your organization

Count on Hologram for:

• The highest levels of reliability. The new Hologram Dual-Core SIMs feature two fully independent mobile cores on each SIM that seamlessly switch to a backup core in the event of an outage.
• Guaranteed uptime commitment. Hologram includes uptime guarantees in our contracts and 24/7 support to resolve any issues quickly.
• Exceptional performance: Hologram’s low latency and high throughput solution can handle the volumes of data produced by these mission-critical use cases.
• Simplified management. With the Hologram Dashboard and analytical tools, you get real-time visibility into device activity and performance, so you can keep operations running smoothly.
• Global coverage. Hologram seamlessly connects to carriers across the world to ensure your user experience is consistent.

Get a free pilot SIM with code FREEPILOTSIM and sign up for the dashboard to get started today.