Amarillo, Texas, deploys $4 million fixed wireless access network for school kids

The City of Amarillo (TX) is working with Airspan to set up a $4 million fixed wireless access (FWA) network to help connect school kids to the internet. The 4G FWA network, which has achieved symmetrical speeds of 100 Mbps, is being deployed to the homes of children who do not have internet access. And of course, this will benefit others who live in those households as well. Based on the urgency of serving students, the goal is to have 50 square miles covered by the end of the 2021-2022 school year. The city applied for funding through the Broadband Development Office of the State of Texas via its Operation Connectivity program, which taps American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds. The project is happening in two phases. The first phase is the initial pilot in Amarillo. And a second phase will involve working with more than 50 communities in the Texas Panhandle to connect educational institutions with the homes of school kids. The city has put in an application for funding of $100 million to cover the costs of Phase Two.