Testing 5G Devices for FWA

Fixed-location services, also known as fixed wireless access (FWA), are growing rapidly. Fixed-location devices provide access to fast data connections in areas where broadband services are not yet available and cannot be deployed easily. Many FWA devices provide connectivity with 5G New Radio (NR) as the broadband data pipe and wireless local area network (WLAN) to deliver economical access for multiple connections.Consumer premise equipment (CPE) is one example of a fixed-location device. CPE and other fixed-location devices such as routers and gateways are used for business and consumer applications. Transportation and public safety use fixed-location devices for communication across rural areas. Internet of Things (IoT) devices such as vending machines and home appliances also benefit from fixed-location services for reliable connectivity.

The data throughput of these devices is important, but so is their RF performance. Applications such as public safety require reliable connections over time. Although infrequent, IoT device connections must be available when needed. The 5G NR and WLAN parts of these devices need to transmit and receive data with sufficient performance to establish and maintain reliable connections. Verifying the RF and throughput performance of multi-format devices is challenging though. Fixed-location devices must transmit and receive data with sufficient power, overcome interference, support multiple reliable connections, and maintain connectivity over time to be effective.