For the first time, 5G allows mobile network operators to offer enterprises a compelling alternative to fiber, cable and DSL. That alternative is Fixed Wireless Access (FWA) for business, also known as 5G FWA service. Previous attempts at FWA failed because they required a completely new overlay network and expensive, proprietary equipment. 5G operators can now use their same mobile networks to deliver ultra-high-speed broadband services to residential subscribers and enterprise customers using 3GPP standard equipment and common mobile components.
The fastest version of 5G uses millimeter wave (mmWave) spectrum that can achieve speeds as fast as gigabit fiber internet – or faster. This is good news for the emerging cloud gaming industry which depends not only on high speed but also low latency, jitter, and packet loss. Cloud gaming smartphones are replacing PCs and consoles to allow gamers to go just about anywhere, such as for the retail outlets and stadiums where cloud gamers or augmented reality enthusiasts, respectively, congregate.
mmWave signals typically have difficulty penetrating buildings where 80% of these 5G connections, as with 4G, are expected to originate. Pivotal Commware solved this problem by developing the Echo 5G™, an on-window repeater that acts as a portal to facilitate in-building mmWave signal penetration to both customer premise equipment (CPE) and mmWave smartphone users. This paper will explain what propagation challenges the Echo was developed to solve. It will also provide a few examples of Echo-enabled in-building mmWave coverage – clothing store, hair salon, VIP suite in a stadium and media center at a racetrack -- and suggest some applications that users will enjoy at these venues in the future.
