Fixed wireless is a big deal. Here’s why

[Commentary]  Companies across the gamut are investing in new fixed wireless services. And government money aimed at bridging the digital divide could help fund further fixed wireless deployments. Perhaps more importantly, a surprisingly large number of new and existing vendors are selling increasingly inexpensive equipment for fixed wireless services. But the most interesting element in fixed wireless is that it appears to be a breeding ground for new wireless technologies.

The technology is opening the door to new, startup Internet service providers in both rural and urban areas. And that’s a big deal because wired ISPs rarely face serious competition, given the high cost of entry into the market (it’s those expenses that in part stymied Google Fiber’s buildout). Indeed, that lack of competition could also be part of the reason why internet service providers have some of the lowest customer satisfaction metrics of almost any sector of the U.S. economy. Thus, fixed wireless providers have the opportunity to enter rural and urban markets at about a tenth of the cost of laying physical fiber in order to provide services to customers who are clearly fed up with their existing, wired options. The stage may well be set for serious disruption.