Independent internet service providers in rural areas have for decades used fixed wireless platforms based on use of unlicensed spectrum. In the near term, one option for boosting delivered speeds has been to leverage licensed spectrum in the 2-GHz ranges, where possible.
That wireless ISP business has been highly fragmented, to date, though consolidation is expected. But the biggest change could come as AT&T deploys fixed wireless infrastructure as a primary means of boosting internet access speeds in rural areas.
And that should accelerate as the 5G era arrives. Verizon also intends to rely on fixed wireless in urban areas as well (as does Google Fiber).
That would represent a huge change. Historically, the only viable choice for telco internet access at high speeds was optical fiber deployed to the home. Better fixed wireless now adds a key new choice.
In fact, since cable TV operators began to deploy hybrid fiber coax platforms capable of gigabit speeds, the better way to characterize access platforms is not by media type, but by access speed. In other words, the new logic is how to supply gigabit per second access, not the choice of platform.
In fact, in the 5G era, all platforms will aim to do that. One might argue we have passed the peak of fiber to the home deployment in the U.S. market, as strange as that might sound. Between HFC and wireless and mobile, the next big wave of speed increases does not look to come from vastly higher fiber-to-home investment.
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