What does FWA mean, the alternative to fiber for fast Internet

The digital divide is still an uncomfortable reality present on the Italian territory: the smallest or isolated municipalities can obtain at best only very slow ADSL connections, unable to bear the weight of the new Internet services needed such as videoconferencing or distance learning. Given that optical fiber will hardly arrive in these municipalities (both in FTTC and FTTH versions), it was decided to use radio waves to transmit a good Internet connection over long distances, able to overcome the shortcomings of ADSL.

In this guide, we will show you in fact what does FWA mean, a new abbreviation for Internet connections able to offer a good alternative to optical fiber, so as to be able to carry out distance learning and videoconferencing with a speed certainly higher than the old connection technologies typical of remote areas of Italy.

Complete Guide to FWA, Fast Fiber-Free Internet

In the following chapters, we will show you first of all what are the characteristics of an FWA network, which types of wireless networks can be used, and finally, we will also show you which operators operate in this mode so that you can choose the right offer for our home. or for our company.

FWA features

FWA (Fixed-Wireless-Access) technology allows you to connect users to the Internet via radio waves, without using any telephone cables.

In fact, the connection is made by placing a high-gain antenna outside the home, a long cable that connects it inside the house, and finally, a classic modem, to which we can connect any device via the internal Wi-Fi network or a connection via Ethernet cable. Though this type of technology is nothing new (There have already been operators that provide wireless Internet coverage for some time), the term FWA immediately identified technology with greater performance and greater stability, capable of replacing the wireless connections used previously to offer Internet access over flat lines. Specifically, we can identify three types of FWA type connections:

• FWA-TDD: the first technology created for this purpose, able to offer good coverage but fluctuating performance.
• HIPERLAN: an evolution of the previous technology that offers very good performance but only if the operator’s antenna is “insight” (ie it is visible from the house).
• FWA-FDD: the latest evolution of wireless technology, which allows the signal to be divided over a large number of frequencies (including those of LTE), in order to obtain high performance and high coverage.

Obviously, we cannot know in advance which technology will be offered to us by the chosen operator, so it is better to inquire before signing any type of contract. Speeds can be very interesting and practically always superior to ADSL: it starts from 30 Mega up to 100 Mega and more, depending on the technology in use.

How to choose the best FWA offer

Just to meet the needs of all users who only have slow ADSL connections, in this chapter we have collected all the best offers for FWA connections in Italy, showing you the type of connection used, the cost of the subscription, and what is included. inside. Since these are flat connections, we must not fear constraints on the Giga of the connection, although it is preferable to inquire in advance about any policies of correct use (which could reduce the browsing speed in case of excessive use of the wireless line).

The first offer we can consider is that of TIM FWA Rechargeable, of which we can check coverage and economic conditions from the official website.

This offer includes unlimited fast Internet without fixed costs, a rechargeable system (we can choose from time to time when and how much to recharge, without monthly restrictions), Internet connection up to 30 Mbps in download and up to 3 Mbps in upload at a cost of 99 € upon first activation (with costs and 90 days included), with the possibility of renewing for 30 days at the price of € 27.90 or 90 days at the price of € 78.90. TIM uses FWA-FDD technology, thus proving to be the fastest in all situations in use (where it takes the cellular network TIM will also take the FWA-FDD.

Another very famous operator with a lot of experience in the sector is Linkem, whose offer is accessible from the official website.

With Linkem we will have an unlimited Internet connection and a choice of rechargeable or subscription system: in the first case, we will pay € 99 with the first three months included (with a free choice on the months to be recharged later), while in the second case we will pay € 19.90 per month (for the first 12 months). Linkem uses FWA-TDD technology, so the coverage is very good while the speed varies according to the distance from the antenna and the number of users services in the area.

The last operator we can consider is EOLO, which offers an offer dedicated to private customers directly from the official website.

With EOLO we can get fast Internet without time and hour limits with a classic subscription of € 24.90 per month, without any restrictions. Currently, EOLO uses HIPERLAN technology for connections, which is a good solution for fast surfing on the Internet but only if our home is close enough to the antenna (it must be visible as the crow flies).

Conclusions

Talking about fast fiber without a fixed-line might seem like a gamble at first glance, but wireless technology has made great strides and it is possible, by choosing the operator with the right coverage and technology, to surf wirelessly without regretting fiber connections. optical and obtaining a great benefit compared to slow ADSL connections (now completely outdated).

Do we want to surf the Internet using the classic cellular network connection and using a dedicated portable modem? In this case, we recommend that you read our guide on Rates and mobile Internet subscriptions for LTE modems. If, on the other hand, we do not want to give up the stability of cable connections, we can check the coverage and the best offers available for our home by reading the articles More affordable and reliable home internet offers ADSL or Fiber e Best Optical Fiber: check coverage and offers.