Midco CTIO says fixed wireless is helping it push fiber further

Midco’s chief technology innovation officer Jon Pederson says the operator’s use of fixed wireless access (FWA) technology to serve certain remote locations is actually benefitting its efforts to expand its fiber network. Pederson, who has worked for the regional US broadband provider for more than three decades, explained Midco deploys fixed wireless access service for customers in some of the most remote parts of its footprint. As it runs fiber to new towers for that service, he said it’s also taking the opportunity to push fiber into nearby communities along the way. Midco is currently pressing on with a $500 million fiber project which aims to deliver multi-gigabit service to 300,000 homes and businesses over the coming years. Right now, only a single-digit percentage of Midco’s more than 400,000 broadband subscribers are on fiber, but “we will increase that progressively over time,” Pederson said.