Foliage won't stop this ISP from connecting Cleveland

Fixed wireless access (FWA) is often thought of as a way to connect remote areas where fiber can’t do the job. But the technology also has a place in the big city, as nonprofit DigitalC has shown. DigitalC kicked off in January an 18-month plan to construct a citywide FWA network in Cleveland. The network is funded by around $30 million in state and federal funds along with $20 million from private donations, said DigitalC COO Jose Valdez. Deploying fixed wireless in a large city comes with some challenges. So, DigitalC wants to ensure it doesn’t bark up the wrong tree (literally). Cleveland’s dense tree canopy is a “significant obstacle for signal propagation,” as trees absorb, block and scatter radio waves. Tarana’s tech employs a few tactics to combat the foliage, including beamforming to focus signals in specific directions and it can adjust the signals based on environmental conditions—not only trees but also temperature and moving objects.