Shiv Putcha: Wiring legacy buildings with cost-effective broadband

As economies around the world rebound from the pandemic, there are significant variations in the pace and strength of the recovery. The one segment that has seen consistent growth across markets and regions is the demand for high-speed broadband access. Much of the focus on broadband has been on building out or upgrading transport networks or in the last mile access networks, where there has been significant activity in fiber passes for neighborhoods as well as increasing activity in 5G fixed wireless access (FWA) as a new access technology. However, these technologies are very much focused on “wide area” or macro connectivity. In other words, while significant work has been done to bring broadband to the home, premise or even the curb, not enough focus has gone into bringing quality and cost-effective broadband indoors. This is particularly true for residential consumers living in multi-dwelling unit (MDU) legacy or “brownfield” buildings and venue sites, as opposed to single-unit homes. Taking a wireless approach to indoor backhaul can be a game changer for the smart building industry, by bringing legacy and brownfield MDUs and venues into the addressable market. 

[Shiv Putcha is the Founder and Principal Analyst at Mandala Insights, an independent, boutique analyst firm that offers insights, opinions and research on the network and emerging technologies that will drive the next billion digital opportunities in Asia.]