Helping the UK achieve its Gigabit goals with Fixed Wireless Access

The UK Government is taking bold action on connecting the unconnected. It has set an ambitious target of rolling out gigabit-capable internet to 85% of the country by 2025, bringing super-fast internet to thousands of homes and businesses.

Internet service providers (ISPs) can help make this happen by taking part in the £210 million Gigabit Broadband Voucher Scheme. They can access grants of up to £4,500 for homes businesses to help cover the costs of installing gigabit broadband.

But even with state support, it’s not economically viable to install a wired connection to every home or business. For some, including the 100,000 premises across the country that the Government deems ‘very hard to reach’, a different approach will be needed.

Enter Fixed Wireless Access (FWA) broadband. This technology can provide gigabit speeds to remote areas without the need to dig into harsh terrain. It’s also simple to install, reducing the deployment time to days or weeks instead of months or years, and can be mixed with fibre solutions.

The latest generation of Mimosa’s FWA range has landed, and it’s a game changer in terms of what’s possible for ISPs. The new Point to Multi-Point (PTMP) 6 series, including the A6 and C6x, together with the Point To Point (PTP) B5x, are the first future-proof and affordable solutions capable of achieving fibre-fast gigabit speeds without the fibre.

The B5x is the perfect solution for extending internet connections to rural areas. It is one of the leading 1+ Gbps extended frequency backhaul solutions for short- and medium-range links. With an extremely strong price-to-performance ratio, offering IP67 ruggedness, GPS-Sync technology, and exceptional noise mitigation, this is the first 5GHz product to be recognised as Gigabit Broadband Voucher Scheme compliant by UKWISPA.

The new 6-series uses WiFi-6E technology (IEEE 802.11ax) and is the only product range on the market capable of covering 5GHz and 6GHz in one single unit. It supports the new 160MHz channel and state-of-the-art beamforming, achieving speeds of up to 6 Gbps from a single access unit.

In addition, the 6-series provides an arsenal of noise cancellation features and, thanks to the new OFDMA and MU-MIMO technology, drastically increases its performance. It is the first PTMP system on the 5GHz spectrum to be compliant with the Gigabit Broadband Voucher Scheme.

Maintenance is also no problem. Housed in a rugged IP67 format, the C6x can withstand whatever nature throws at it - particularly useful in the rural areas that are being targeted by the Project Gigabit Voucher Scheme. Carrier-grade management capabilities with the Mimosa Management Platform (MMP) also enable operators to deploy and monitor with ease.
 

The same network can easily be expanded over time as new demand emerges or changes, without the hassle and expense for the ISP of having to revisit the entire project from scratch and spend time configuring it all to run together. This modularity also extends the accompanying range of X-series, twist-on antennas, which offer the ease and simplicity of integrated radios, but with much more flexibility. Add a new client within the premises, or install a new access point, or even switch out the antenna while keeping the network seamlessly integrated and providing the same great network reliability and speed. In this way the C6x allows ISPs to take advantage of new possibilities when it comes to synchronised network scalability, reducing downtime and installation costs.

So as the UK Government works with ISPs to bring connectivity to all corners of the country, let’s not forget about the potential of FWA to bring gigabit-capable internet to harder to reach homes and businesses.