FWA technology will keep people connected

Today, having an Internet connection at home is of fundamental importance, especially now that most workers and students have to work and take classes remotely because of the current global pandemic. The Italian telecommunications market is developing itself more and more to keep up with the times and thus meet the needs of all users. 

There are mainly two types of connections, wired connections and the category of wireless ones. ADSL and fibre are part of the wired ones, but unfortunately, they have geographic limits, whereas FWA and satellite Internet belong to the wireless ones. 

Especially in the months when the virus and the lockdown forced the Italians to stay at home, there were increasing requests to have Internet connection. There has also been a growth in the use of the FWA connection, which in fact is expanding faster and faster. But let’s see what it is, the acronym stands for Fixed Wireless Access and identifies a fixed connection technology that has been created to be an alternative and complementary solution to the FTTH (Fiber to the Home) and FTTC (Fiber to the Cabinet) versions. Broadband (20 Mbps) and ultra-broadband (higher than 30 Mbps) FWA connections do not depend on the telephone network, but use the frequency of radio waves to offer users a stable and fast Internet connection. The radio waves carry all data from the repeaters to the power stations that are equipped with optical fibre, data are then distributed thanks to the magnetic waves. It is called “fixed” precisely because it is mobile and the radio waves are able to create a bridge between two fixed infrastructures. 

Even in places where there is not or it is not feasible to use optical fibre, it is now possible to have a valid and high quality Internet connection, using radio waves. In Italy, Eolo and Linkem were the first companies to offer the innovative FWA technology. According to the Agcom Observatory, the FWA had 1.37 million accesses, thus recording a growth of 10% more in the period from March 2019 to 2020.  

It is interesting to know that Qualcomm Technologies, Ericsson and Tim companies have set a new world speed record of one Gigabit per second with the new 5G technology, used with the FWA connection. 

The FWA connection is not only more affordable for the customer, but it is also more cost-effective for those who have to realize it. This network, which relies on radio waves, was created not to replace the other types of connection already available, but to give a reliable and stable alternative and a fast connection speed even to all users who cannot take advantage of the services offered by the fibre.