Thursday Morning Links → Re: Verizon 5G Fixed Wireless

V and T both have fiber running to damn near every 4G tower and they're delivering competitive solutions to the stagnant wired copper providers today.

It doesn't matter that "5G" will presumably run way up and above 5ghz and have line-of-sight issues. LTE runs on high bands and low bands. It's not an either/or thing -- it works on 600mhz and 700mhz and 1.9ghz and 2.5ghz. "5G" will eventually do the same. The low-band network is great for coverage and the high-band network is great for capacity. They compliment each other.

It also doesn't matter that V and T will probably want/need some more density as the two or three tower/sites in the area grow to a few more to cover homes subscribing to $50 Unlimited† 4G/5G Fixed Wireless. Even T-Mobile is dipping their toe back in after sitting things out for a bit.

You just seem to be missing the basic point. The higher the frequency (mmwave) the more Bandwidth you have, BUT you lose range. The inverse is also true. The lower the frequency the more range you get, but you have much lower bandwidth capability. This is true regardless of what standard (2g,3g,4g,5g,6g,lte, etc) you use, it is a physical limitation. So for mmwave 5g you will need a tower (or microcell) within about a half mile to use it. Yes, you can use 5g with traditional frequencies but you will have (essentially) the same bandwidth as you have with LTE. So in order to use high bandwidth 5g you will need a microcell for every ten block radius. NOBODY currently has that much fiber deployed over a significant amount of area. In order to use mmwave 5g across Verizon's footprint they will have to do a MASSIVE deployment of fiber (I think that is a good thing). Now in urban or suburban areas(high density) 5G MAY be a good idea once all the fiber is down. However out in real rural areas where you do not have more than two houses within a half mile, it is cheaper to just run fiber all the way. Without some added incentive they will never do this as the ROI is too low. Keep in mind that about 30% (geographically) of the continental US has no internet and a large number of those places have no cell service either. Unless the "rules" are reset, it is unlikely that will change.

also if you are running. let say fiber by pole. you can also put in small solar panels to recoup some cost.

Jesus tapdancing Christ on a god damn cracker -- missing the point?? If you think V and T are using microwaves to backhaul most/all of their 4G/LTE towers in Licking County, I'll leave it up to you to prove us all wrong. They're using a combo of Spectrum and Windstream Enterprise FTTN.

Show me where I even hinted that they were using Microwave backhaul at all. I DID NOT. Having fiber running to cell towers every 10-20 miles is VASTLY different than having fiber for every ten block radius. The closest you will probably get would be the cable companies and somehow I do not think they will be providing fiber for the telcos to service their internet.

Sprint and Altice have a partnership to use cable hard-line to connect LTE small- cells to the Internet. It's comparable to AT&T and Verizon's small-cell deployments on their GPON fiber networks.