Bridging the digital divide is a focus of governments and operators around the world. The primary stumbling block is finding the right balance between conducive policy and incentivization with economic feasibility and new service revenue generation. In the past fiber has been the gold standard in terms of home broadband, but as operators acquire and deploy 5G spectrum, particularly mid-band and mmWave, fixed wireless access has emerged as a battleground pitting mobile network operators against traditional cable companies for home broadband business. In addition to helping monetize massive 5G investments, 5G-backed fixed wireless access can serve another goal—connecting the unconnected and helping realize the productivity and inclusionary gains that flow from that.
