Page 28 - SAMENA ELITE - October-December2025

INDUSTRY UPDATES
28 OCT-DEC 2025
Broadband Forum: 5G FWA offers Broadband Fix for Multi-Dwelling

Units

The Broadband Forum has published The topline finding was that multiple Talbert, Broadband Forum multi-
a technical report outlining how to tenants and apartments can share tenant FWA project stream lead and
address the internet challenges high capacity 5G mmWave links Wistron NeWeb Corporation senior
people living in multi-dwelling units through using existing in-building director of technology.
(MDUs) still face despite rapidly infrastructure so that delivering 5G
increased broadband access to broadband to apartment buildings “By reusing the existing in-building
premises over the past few years. gets simpler, through to a new infrastructure, multiple tenants can be
specification that allows a single 5G served with one 5G FWA connection,
The report defined fixed wireless Fixed Wireless Access (FWA) modem and this specification promises more
access (FWA) as establishing a to deliver high speed connectivity to efficient use of 5G resources,
connection over a radio link for multiple tenants. simplified and unified management,
communications between a base and reduced operating costs for
station and user equipment, such as The specification is said to solve operators.”
5G modems, that are typically challenges prevalent in MDUs, such as
installed in the apartment. the limited availability of service Christele Bouchat, Broadband Forum
options for subscribers beyond 1Gbps network architecture work area
The Broadband Forum added that for in buildings that lack fibre-based co-director and Nokia strategy and
radio frequencies below 6 GHz, a 5G access, and performance or standardisation manager, added: “In
network is suitable to provide coverage limitations of FWA for the past, restrictions set by property
broadband services with a high level individual tenants in large buildings. owners or the design of existing MDU
of coverage. But for gigabit-level or Technical solutions based on the new buildings have limited the possibilities
multi-gigabit speeds, broadband standard also allow apartments to be for making high-capacity broadband
service providers want to make use of reached using the existing property services available to these
high-band “frequency range 2” 5G infrastructure, including twisted pair, subscribers.
mmWave spectrum at 24-40 GHz. This telephone wiring, or coaxial cabling,
spectrum range has additional signal from the attic or basement of the “The latest specification addresses
attenuation when travelling through building. these limitations by allowing the
walls or building materials, so installation of a high-performance 5G
architectures that employ outdoor “This publication is a gamechanger outdoor FWA system that can be
CPE devices are favoured to maximise for broadband service providers and shared by potentially dozens of
performance. will ensure that customers, regardless tenants and connected through
of what type of property they reside in, existing cabling already in the
The research project on which the are served equally when it comes to building.”
report was based began in 2023. It broadband connectivity,” said Mike
fundamentally focused on outlining
how multiple tenants and apartments
can receive gigabit broadband
connectivity through a single 5G FWA
connection by reusing a building’s
existing infrastructure, defining an
architecture and requirements for
serving multiple tenants in an MDU via
FWA through converged and pure 5G
network approaches.

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