20341 - SCTE Broadband August2019 COMPLETE highres v3

51 Vol. 41 No. 3 - August 2019 Issue technical Everyone knows that the quickest path between two points is a straight line. As it turns out, when building an access network, a straight line may be the only path. While most current broadband subscribers worldwide may be served using physical copper or fibre connections, there are millions who have some form of barrier that precludes placement of such cables all the way to their premises. Fortunately for them, the time-proven technology of a fixed wireless (FW) network may allow them to enjoy broadband speeds without the expense of running a typical copper or fibre transport solution. FW broadband is high-speed access in which the “last mile” connection to a service provider uses radio signals rather than a cable. It bridges the gap between the internet backbone and consumer by broadcasting radio waves from an access point, typically at the top of a tower, to reception dishes or antennas, at residence or business locations (Figure A above). Providers of the services over these networks are known as WISPs, or Wireless Internet Service Providers. The use of FW to provide last mile connectivity continues to grow, with more and more service providers, large and small, deploying their own versions of the technology. And subscribers are responding. Preseem, a company that monitors FW networks, stated in a recent report that the average FW subscriber uses 6.7GB of data per day, or over 200GB per month. The average FW subscriber uses just over 3Mb/s when they are active. While FW uses radio waves, it is not the same as some of the more commonly known radio technologies. First, it is not a satellite-based service. In fact, the technology provides better performance on consumer-sensitive factors, such as latency, when compared to satellite services. Online gamers, for instance, will certainly prefer the low “lag” of an FW access network when given a choice. Similarly, FW is not the same as a mobile system. Cellular systems can allow any device within range of tower-mounted antennas to connect to them and receive service. FW is point-to-point, broadcasting coverage in a straight line to a specific user. Finally, FW is not Wi-Fi. Unlike Wi-Fi, FW requires line-of-sight between antennas and cannot pass through or around minor barriers like Wi-Fi. Before delving too deeply into FW broadband access systems, it should be noted that these networks have been in existence for quite some time. One can trace Wireless Local Loop back to the mid-90s, if not earlier. These early systems refer to the customer premises wireless equipment as the Subscriber Unit (SU), while the operator’s transmitter delivering the last mile local loop services was known as the Access Point (AP). Similar terminology is used when describing FW today. Benefits and limitations An obvious question when contemplating FW is “why complicate the access network by adding a wireless approach to providing service?” As with most engineering choices, this question comes down to cost versus benefit. One of the greatest advantages offered by a FW system is the ability to greatly enlarge a broadband service area at a relatively low cost. The investment in placing fibre or coaxial cable to serve a single new customer, or even a whole group of them, is eliminated. Instead, an “access point”, often called a “donor” antenna, may be placed at the nearest location served by the internet backbone, with a reception dish at the subscriber’s location. Another benefit of growing importance is the superiority of FW in handling latency when compared with other solutions. Typical rural technologies have very high latency, challenging the end- Figure A: Fixed wireless ecosystem