A Complete Guide to Fixed Wireless Access for Business

Traditionally, fixed wireless internet service is the same product as a classic wired internet service. However, the last-mile connectivity looks a little different — data is transported wirelessly rather than on a wire. Microwave line-of-sight (LOS) technology gives you pretty much the same experience as wired internet. There are some distance and field-of-view limitations, of course. But if your location has a clear LOS to a traditional fixed wireless service provider, the performance is fully comparable to fiber lines.

How Fixed Wireless Access Works

With fixed wireless internet services, the service provider will have a Point of Presence (POP) on site. The router is connected to the microwave transmission gear. From here, the internet service is sent to a corresponding part of the customer’s microwave transmission gear.

The only real difference between this fixed wireless setup and other delivery mechanisms, like fiber, satellite, or coax cables, is the transmission gear. Rather than using wired equipment, it relies on a fixed wireless transmission point.

Fixed Wireless Access Pros and Cons

There are many benefits and drawbacks of fixed wireless access (FWA) that are important to understand before you make your decision. 

Pros

Pros of FWA include:

• There is wide availability. FWA solutions, even dedicated ones, are typically available where fiber is not. This allows enterprises to get a Service Level Agreement (SLA) backed, primary circuit option when fiber is unavailable or too costly. 

• You can expect fast deployment. An FWA last-mile solution can typically be installed and functioning much faster than a fiber or coax option. FWA can be up and running in two to three weeks, sometimes faster, while dedicated fiber can take 90-120 days or longer.

• It’s more cost-effective (under the right circumstances). Without the need to physically connect your location to the service provider’s backbone network, the bulk of your costs will be for customer premises equipment (CPE). For instance, if building out fiber infrastructure is expensive, and an FWA provider can offer service from a central site with existing backhaul access, then FWA is generally cheaper than dedicated fiber options. 

• There is relatively low latency. Using microwave transmissions over short distances provides a less latency-prone connectivity experience than other wireless network types like satellite or Long-Term Evolution (LTE). That said, latency is still worse than that of fiber.

In short, this service is typically relatively low-cost and convenient in regions where wired connectivity is unavailable or not competitive. 

Cons

Cons of FWA include:

• A LOS is required. To send and receive data effectively, your dish and the provider’s dish must be facing each other without physical obstruction — or it won’t work.

• Distance is limited. There is a range limitation with this service. You’ll need to be within 10 miles of the provider’s dish to experience business-standard connectivity.

• Weather conditions can still be an issue. Most of the time, weather-related connectivity issues are unnoticeable, and the technology continues to improve. Nevertheless, heavy rain or fog can affect performance, and some service degradation or “rain fade” is to be expected.

• Latency is worse than fiber or coax. Delays due to signal degradation or interference over distances may occur with wireless transmission. 

In short, many limitations can impact the quality of FWA. 

Use Cases

Circumstances where FWA is often used to great effect include:

Interim/time-sensitive solutions: A fiber buildout typically takes between 90 and 120 days. If the new location needs to be ready yesterday, a fixed wireless system can be deployed in a few days rather than weeks.

Remote locations: In areas of the country that lag on infrastructure, a fiber solution may well be cost-prohibitive. Fixed wireless is a favorite for oil, gas, and mining industries, some process-heavy manufacturing sectors, and residential construction projects — activities that generally take place outside of built-up areas.

Secondary circuits: If wired connectivity are limited, then a fixed wireless network will provide you with a great option for redundancy. If you don’t need the flexibility of location that a cellular/4G LTE solution provides, then the near-fiber levels of speed and throughput will more than compensate for the reduced mobility.

Backup: Even if you’re not looking for an “always-on”, active-active redundancy option, you can keep a fixed wireless network configured for active-passive failover redundancy. And, if a new location has been set up quickly using fixed wireless, then consolidated later with a wired network, the fixed wireless solution can still provide a legacy benefit, remaining operational for redundancy purposes.

However, in these situations, it’s still important to weigh the efficacy of other options against FWA.

The Fixed Wireless Connectivity Landscape

A marketing problem arises for enterprise businesses looking for these services. Several internet service providers have started marketing fifth-generation mobile network (5G) and LTE-based solutions that use a fixed external antenna as “fixed wireless services.” In reality, they’re more like cellular services. 

Now, we have two types of services, both sheltering under the “fixed wireless services” banner: line-of-sight fixed wireless (LOS-FW) and cellular fixed wireless (5G/LTE-FW).

Line-of-Sight Fixed Wireless

LOS-FW runs on good old-fashioned line-of-sight microwave transmission. This means it’s limited to areas with a direct LOS to a service provider’s tower.

This means it needs a professional to install it, and it isn’t easily portable. However, provided the LOS is solid and clear, it offers low latency and speeds between 10 megabits per second (Mbps) and 1 gigabits per second (Gbps). 

Typically, LOS-FW offers dedicated symmetrical bandwidth, rarely including data caps. This makes it a practical failover connectivity solution for enterprise businesses. However, it can itself be significantly impacted by adverse weather conditions. Most modern gear has built-in technology to handle bad weather, but in extreme conditions, you might still have issues. If you’re considering LOS-FW for mission-critical applications, ask the provider for a “fade margin.” This is built-in extra signal strength that ensures connectivity if things get rough. 

On the security side, however, LOS-FW shines. Due to its point-to-point nature, it’s exceptionally challenging to intercept anything without physical access to the transmission path. Most providers typically implement enterprise-grade AES-256 encryption as a standard precaution.

Cellular Fixed Wireless

Unlike LOS-FW, these services connect in much the same way smartphones do, using LTE or 5G. They offer much wider coverage and availability, too, as they can piggyback on existing cellular network infrastructure. 

While the external antenna will likely need professional installation, 5G/LTE-FW is a portable solution (if the carrier is notified). It offers line speeds of anything from 25 Mbps to 1 Gbps, but performance and latency fluctuate greatly. Congestion or weak signal strength further impacts performance and latency. 5G/LTE-FW will always work on the best available bandwidth, and the service may include data use caps. This is typically not a problem in urban areas but can greatly impact rural service. 

Of course, 5G/LTE-FW is a secure service. However, it’s still reliant on cellular network security protocols, which are more vulnerable than point-to-point connections if a sophisticated cyber attack occurs. Modern 5G networks incorporate enhanced security features like network slicing and improved encryption that weren't available in earlier cellular technologies, making this an unlikely risk.

What Kind of Plans Are Available With Fixed Wireless Access?

There are several FWA plan options, but you can largely divide them into two camps: best effort, with volume-based usage plans, or speed-based plans, which at times are dedicated internet (DIA) connections.

Best Effort Fixed Wireless Access Plans

The lack of a guaranteed minimum Internet speed and throughput makes “best-effort” fixed wireless services an affordable option. This is ideal for businesses looking for secondary circuits on their SD-WAN topology or a backup failover connection for emergencies.

These plans are structured similarly to cellular data plans that connect to LTE/5G modems or cell phones as hotspots. The plans tend to come with a data cap. Once you exceed the cap, you get charged for your additional usage (usually calculated at a set rate per gigabyte). It’s important to set the right data cap because the savings from the more affordable best-effort plan can quickly be canceled out by the punitive charges incurred when you exceed your limit.

Performance on best effort plans will depend on several factors. Your proximity to the service provider’s dish, weather events like rain, and any foliage between you and the service provider can impact your network’s performance. If set up well, FWA performance can be impressive, with users commonly reporting 25-40 Mbps download speeds and 5-10 Mbps on the upload. Some customers have it even better than that if they’re close enough to the service provider’s dish.

Dedicated/Speed-Based Fixed Wireless Access Plans

For businesses looking to use FWA, a speed-based or dedicated FWA plan can provide a viable option for primary circuits. Speed-based plans are more popular due to their predictability and reliability. Certain providers of speed-based FWA plans will offer SLA-backed DIA options that are constructed to ensure uptime and should mimic the reliability of a proper dedicated fiber connection.

Plans in this category tend to be structured similarly to DIA or coax-based last-mile plans. They are based on unlimited usage, although there are often some “guardrails.” These plans are protected by essentially a super-high usage cap to prevent unscrupulous types from taking advantage and abusing the service.

During the procurement process, the service provider will investigate the level of performance they can provide at the customer’s location. As stated, location relative to the provider’s tower and dish is critical, so the provider needs to ensure they can come back to you with an assessment of what speeds they can realistically provide. When constructing dedicated FWA, a provider may seek to build multiple wireless points of contact with the customer site to ensure uptime.

Once they’ve done their homework, they’ll come back with a choice of internet-speed options. Depending on your location, it’s not uncommon for these options to include throughput speeds of 500 Mbps, with symmetrical upload and download speeds. Pricing will be heavily dependent on the cost needed to create the fixed wireless network of choice: the more difficult it is to build a reliable connection, the more you’ll have to pay, unfortunately.

Fixed Wireless Access for Business

Understanding these different types of fixed wireless services is essential. LOS-FW is fantastic in underserved areas and as a diverse connectivity option for enterprises. Meanwhile, 5G/LTE-FW offers more straightforward (and typically quicker) installation and offers great service in areas where the 5G or LTE network signals are strong.

A lot of businesses run into trouble just figuring out what kind of fixed wireless they’re actually getting. If you don’t know the basics (and those key differences), it’s hard to tell what your real options are, let alone compare different product offerings and prices meaningfully. We have a helpful buyer’s guide to all types of business internet that you may find useful. Sometimes, however, you need an expert’s help to choose the right internet service. 

How Widely Adopted Is Fixed Wireless Access?

With over 100 million service provider connections globally at the end of 2022, FWA is clearly a popular option. Adoption is set to increase, too. It’s predicted that the number of connections will triple by 2028, reaching over 300 million. This expansion will see the market value of FWA rise to $150 billion in roughly the same amount of time — a growth rate of 135%.

So, why is FWA surging in popularity? It’s the need for speed. Modern societies run on high-speed internet connectivity for business, healthcare, education, and many other purposes. Unfortunately, many parts of the U.S. don’t have ready access to affordable wired connectivity options.

If you’re in New York, it’s not a problem — just pick a service provider and get tapped into their fiber backbone network. However, out in the sticks, it’s cheaper and quicker to find an FWA service provider to give you the connectivity you need.

Looking to evaluate your business wireless options? Try Lightyear today.