Dave Dyson, three CEOs, once again positioned broadband access as a true alternative to fixed service, saying most people didn't need the speeds that full fiber offers. The operator will launch its 5G network in August, initially offering FWA 5G in central London, and then a mobile service in 25 UK cities. The FWA offering builds on an existing 4G network, inherited from Relish in 2017. FWA 5G technology has often been cited as a way to connect areas where fiber economics is challenging, but Dyson goes a step further. , suggesting that 100 Mbps capacity and data speeds will be more attractive.
"A real alternative"
"The reality is that broadband today is already wireless (regardless of technology) because most devices connect via Wi-Fi," he told Connected Britain. "Most customers aren't interested in how they're connected to the internet, as long as it works and is profitable. Only 15% of the market need or want more than 100 Mbps, even streaming services don't need it (not even 4K) "I'm not sure if the customer need still exists for people who want or are willing to pay for 1 Gbps." offer speeds of up to 5 Mbps, more than twice the average UK landline phone 100 Mbps. However, it is useless that fiber to the box (FTTC) provides up to 46 Mbps, while full fiber optics can offer a lot Dyson also said that 76G FWA technology would be cost-effective for consumers, cheaper and faster to deploy than fiber optics because it did not require running cables around the home.
Will there be a blanket?
He added that 80% of traffic on the Three network could be routed via 5G infrastructure by 2022, adding that only 44% of UK installations would be able to access fiber optics (FTTP) by 2025. "Realistically, It will be over a decade before the majority of the UK can access FFTP and even then there is a cost issue," he said. However, such a claim does not indicate that Three's 5G coverage will go mainstream. Most mobile traffic is generated in urban areas that are well served by mobile infrastructure, rather than in rural areas, which, in others, believe that FWA can have a big impact. Huawei, for example, does not believe that most of the UK will have access to 5G before 2027. Others, such as Hyperoptic, believe that fiber optic broadband services will not be more expensive, if at all, than services based on in copper.
Fiber and 5G
In fact, it is generally accepted that full fiber technology will be the predominant technology to provide very high speed, but technologies such as 5G FWA will be needed to connect the last 10 to 20% of the UK. Despite his belief that "the government and Ofcom have been too focused on full fibre", Dyson acknowledged the importance of fiber in supporting mobile phone networks, particularly with regard to 5G backhaul. "Fiber continues to be an essential part of the connectivity solution and therefore it is essential that we aim for the best fiber deployment," he said. "Competition is essential so that we can access fiber at the right price and with (enough) quality when it makes sense to move from mobile to fiber. Our target architecture is to have dark fiber at our sites."