High-Speed FWA Using mmWave With the Help of Li-Fi

On a regular basis I keep reading about how Fixed Wireless Access (FWA) continues to gain ground at the expense of cable operators, especially in the USA (see articles by Ookla, OpenSignal). One of the challenges with FWA is the need to (generally) install external antennas, especially when higher frequencies like mmWaves is involved.

One of the approach would be to use transparent antennas that I have explained here. This would be difficult for residential consumers. The other approach, championed by pureLiFi is to use Light Based Communications to let the signal pass from outside to inside. Both these approaches were my wow moments at MWC 2024.

One of the interesting and impressive demos at #MWC24 was from pureLiFi (@purelifi) and Solace (@SolacePower) to send the signal from outdoors to indoors, powered through glass. This is a much simpler solution compared to transparent antennas in glasses but needs investigation. pic.twitter.com/CTG6F7Hz2q

— Zahid Ghadialy (@zahidtg) February 28, 2024

TelecomTV has a nice write-up on the pureLiFi/Solace solution from the conference here. Quoting from that:

This week, pureLiFi announced the LINXC Bridge, a self-installable double limpet that attaches itself to both sides of a window (see picture, above). 

“The idea is to help the signal get through glass,” explained pureLiFi CEO, Alistair Banham. The device transmits an optical version of the incoming radio signal through the glass window so the data can then be distributed to a router or other device once inside the room.

According to Banham, “getting outside signals in” has become ever more difficult as radio technologies have climbed the frequency range and adopted complex encodings, such as orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM), while the materials used to construct buildings have become less  permeable to radio signals. This is a looming problem, he says, because telcos will increasingly rely on millimetre wave (mmWave) fixed 5G radio links to extend broadband services, especially to those hard-to-reach homes and businesses in remote locations, and mmWave doesn’t like walls or windows.

The pureLiFi LINXC Bridge, developed in partnership with Canadian company Solace Power, is designed to overcome some of those problems. “A top priority is the avoidance of truck roll, so a key attraction for our telco customers is the system’s ease of installation – there’s no requirement to for an outside antenna or hole-boring through the side of the customer’s building, as the LINXC is designed to be self-installed, which eliminates installation costs and shortens the time to market for telco-delivered wireless broadband,” said Banham.

But the real Li-Fi breakthrough came about halfway through 2023 when the IEEE (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers) took the wraps off 802.11bb, the optical variant of the Wi-Fi standard and, as a result, Li-Fi and Wi-Fi should be able to interwork within a customer’s premises. 

“Last year,” Banham explained, “we developed the light antenna so a Wi-Fi network can see it as just another antenna, so now we have full interoperability and that means we can demonstrate a complete ecosystem so that customers can see, touch, feel and understand its benefits.”

Perhaps the biggest benefit, and most attractive niche for Li-Fi, is within so-called radio sensitive environments which, thanks to the interoperability with Wi-Fi,  will enable it to selectively reach and connect things like critical medical equipment, for instance (a large and growing application area).

The new mmWave bridge product isn’t pureLiFi’s only offering –  there’s SkyLite, a “whole-room Li-Fi access point” and the Cube, described as a simple, secure working from home, gaming, streaming and on-the-move connectivity device.  

Banham says the ambition doesn’t stop there, as the company has plans to have Li-Fi “augment and extend other wireless and wireless technologies, ushering in a new era of bandwidth, speed and reliable communications."

The press release from Solace Power also includes the video of the solution and is available here.

Related Posts: 

• Free 6G Training: 6G News and Announcements from MWC 2024
• Connectivity Technology Blog: Li-Fi and Other Visible Light Communications (VLC) Standards
• The 3G4G Blog: A Different Approach for Mobile Network Densification
• Connectivity Technology Blog: Rethinking LiFi for Low-Power and Long Range RF Backscatter
• Connectivity Technology Blog: Is Li-Fi Gaining Momentum as an Alternative Beyond 5G?
• Connectivity Technology Blog: Is LiFi (Light-Fidelity) Ready for Beyond-5G?
• The 3G4G Blog: LiFi can be a valuable tool for densification
• The 3G4G Blog - TED talk: Wireless data from every light bulb 

Nokia's FastMile for 5G Fixed Wireless Access (FWA)

Fixed Wireless is a hot topic, especially with 5G. We made a tutorial on that back in 2018, available here. While there are many different CPEs (Customer Premises Equipments) available, for the big players as well as the smaller ones, Nokia's FastMile caught my attention.

The Australian operator Optus has been selling and promoting the FastMile solution for FWA in Aus. You can see a lot of unboxing videos on YouTube, one nice one here.

There are couple of solutions available. In our tutorial, we talk about a combined CPE + router in a box and a separate CPE whose output is connected to a router. Nokia has a solution for both of these. 

The FastMile 5G Gateways (link) is the combined CPE + router. The video below shows how it works.

The FastMile 5G Receiver on the other hand is just a 5G CPE whose output is then connected to a router to create a hotspot. The video below sort of explains it:

Nokia is enjoying reasonable success with FastMile which can be seen from some of their announcements on the web. One such embedded as Tweet below:

We are powering East Africa’s first #5G commercial services with @SafaricomPLC. Our 5G #SRAN technology and 5G FastMile gateways enable ultra-fast #FWA services to Safaricom’s subscribers across Kisumu and the Western Province of Kenya. https://t.co/PKPTB0gnxd pic.twitter.com/AmV5qmMt5T

— Nokia for CSPs (@nokianetworks) March 26, 2021

Related Posts:

• Telecoms Infrastructure Blog: Telia Norway Launches 5G Fixed-Wireless Access (FWA)
• 3G4G: Fixed Wireless Access (FWA)
• The 3G4G Blog: The Journey from Communications Service Provider (CSP) to Digital Service Provider (DSP)
• Connectivity Technology Blog: Fixed Wireless Access (FWA) and the Path to 5G Wireless Wireline Convergence (WWC)
• Connectivity Technology Blog: Fixed Wireless Acess (FWA): A fantastic alternative to home broadband
• The 3G4G Blog: Introduction to Fixed Wireless Access (FWA)
• Operator Watch Blog - Orange Romania: 1st European 5G multi-vendor Fixed Wireless Access (FWA) test
• Telecoms Infrastructure Blog: Nokia Smart Node Modular 4G/5G Femtocell
• Telecoms Infrastructure Blog: Nokia's 5G Small Cells in Limelight
• Telecoms Infrastructure Blog: Nokia's AirScale indoor Radio (ASiR) Small Cells 

Telia Norway Launches 5G Fixed-Wireless Access (FWA)

Telia Norge (Norway) claims to have become the first of the country’s CSP to introduce a Fixed-Wireless Access (FWA) 5G service. Announcing the product development in a press release, the operator said:

Telia Norway is challenging the broadband market again and is the first in the country to offer wireless broadband (FWA) with 5G. New and existing customers now have access to very high and stable internet speeds in the home delivered over Telia's super-fast 5G network. 

- We are very proud to be the first in Norway with wireless broadband with 5G. We are experiencing great demand for wireless broadband across the country, and are confident that the 5G product will be very attractive to many, especially copper customers who now need new internet, says Pål Rune Kaalen, head of the private market in Telia Norway. - We are starting the rollout in Trondheim, and will gradually open for ordering based on where in the country we have 5G coverage, and where we experience great interest from customers. In areas of great interest, we will actively prioritize the development of 5G.

5G fiber speeds

With 5G wireless broadband, you as a customer get very high and stable internet speeds at home delivered over Telia's super-fast 5G network. Initially, download speeds of 100, 200 and 300 Mbps are offered, which are the fastest speeds on the market today. In the long run, Telia will deliver even higher speeds on the product. All you need to use wireless broadband is a small outdoor antenna receiver and an indoor router, which is delivered when the product is installed in your home. The internet signals come from the nearest base station.

- We are committed to ensuring the best possible customer experience, and therefore the product comes with a dedicated outdoor antenna receiver and a market-leading Wi-Fi 6 router, which provides maximum speeds and optimal stability when surfing, streaming and playing, says Kaalen. - Furthermore, we always ensure a professional installation in your home, and since the internet signals come from a base station, you avoid extensive digging as with fiber, which provides a cheap, fast and not least flexible installation.

Existing customers who currently have 4G wireless broadband will easily be able to upgrade to 5G by replacing the antenna receiver outdoors. The wireless Wi-Fi 6 router is already ready for the new solution.

Half the population of 5G next year

Telia has high speed in the development of its national 5G network, and has so far opened the network in Oslo, Bergen, Trondheim and Lillestrøm. Wireless broadband with 5G will be offered continuously in areas that have and receive 5G coverage. Telia's 5G development is taking place area by area throughout the country, and during the next year, half the population will have access to 5G where they live. Telia will be the first with a nationwide 5G network by the end of 2023.

- More and more people will have the opportunity to order wireless broadband with 5G in the time ahead, and as a customer it pays to choose Telia, as we are at the forefront of 5G development in this country while delivering the fastest internet speeds, says Kaalen. - At the same time, we are working hard to be able to deliver a leading TV offer through wireless broadband, so we will come up with more exciting news soon.

Telia wireless broadband with 5G is offered with download speeds of 100, 200 and 300 Mbps, with 50 Mbps in common upload speeds. The fixed monthly price is NOK 699, 799 and 999, respectively, and the installation cost is NOK 3,499 for new and existing customers. The product comes with a dedicated outdoor antenna receiver and market-leading Wi-Fi 6 routers - both from the renowned network manufacturer Zyxel. 

Their Wireless Broadband page provides more information on the different types of broadband and the price plans. 

We have explained FWA in our tutorial here. The tutorial video is embedded below.

Worth noting that the 5G network by Telia Norway is from Ericsson.

Related Blog Posts:

• 3G4G: Fixed Wireless Access (FWA)
• The 3G4G Blog: The Journey from Communications Service Provider (CSP) to Digital Service Provider (DSP)
• Connectivity Technology Blog: Fixed Wireless Access (FWA) and the Path to 5G Wireless Wireline Convergence (WWC)
• Connectivity Technology Blog: Fixed Wireless Acess (FWA): A fantastic alternative to home broadband
• The 3G4G Blog: Introduction to Fixed Wireless Access (FWA)
• Operator Watch Blog - Orange Romania: 1st European 5G multi-vendor Fixed Wireless Access (FWA) test