Fixed Wireless Technologies Provide Some Benefits to Homeowners, Say Providers

HOUSTON, May 8, 2023 – Fixed wireless provides some advantages over fiber to the premises for multi-dwelling unit owners and home owners, said panel including wireless providers at a Broadband Communities Summit event on Thursday.

Property owners do not want to deal with the construction costs and inconveniences of bringing fiber to the premises, said Christopher Curtin, vice president of MDU expansion at internet service provider Ubiquity. Often, bringing fiber to the home requires drilling holes and disrupting living spaces in order to lay the wires.

Instead, companies should leverage the existing infrastructure to build fixed wireless connections where possible, he said. Doing so reduces the likelihood of overbuilding as fixed wireless can rely on the infrastructure already existing in the community, continued Curtin.

Certainly there is merit to building new wires in some cases, said Pat Garry of Astound Broadband, but carriers can optimize time and resources by taking advantage of what structures are already in place.

Fiber is not required for consumers to receive the same high-quality experience as other internet users, added Pierre Trudeau of the telecommunication solutions product developer Positron Access Solutions.

This is particularly true for people that qualify for the Affordable Connectivity Program which supplements broadband access for qualifying low-income households, said Nick Laird of Verizon, the director of sales and marketing for the internet service provider.

Fixed wireless does not require that installers drill holes or enter property, which can lower the barriers to adoption for low-income families. “With a lot of ACP properties, [fixed wireless] is a support pillar,” said Laird.

Our goal as fixed wireless providers is to go into the community and help residents understand what connectivity solutions make sense for them, agreed panelists. Fixed wireless is often the solution for these communities, said Laird.