- Logix says it can help WISPs that don’t have “natural real estate” land more affordable 5G and fiber access
- Recon Analytics’ Roger Entner thinks the combination of 5G rooftop access with fiber is more likely to benefit larger carriers than the smaller ones
- WISPs primarily use fiber for mobile backhaul, but they're also starting to deploy more fiber broadband
The smell of fiber is in the fall air, and wireless providers are thinking about how to get the best of both worlds with 5G and fiber to improve connectivity. Texas-based Logix Fiber Networks thinks it has the answer.
Logix is offering a two-for-one special to major wireless carriers and wireless internet service providers (WISPs), 5G rooftop towers access and fiber backhaul. The company claims this combination is a "unique benefit" for WISPs to bring broadband to unserved and underserved communities. But such a deal is more likely to favor major mobile operators instead, according to Recon Analytics principal Roger Entner.
Large mobile carriers “have a lot more customers, a lot more demand, and a lot bigger budgets than WISPs,” he told Fierce. “Combining roof-top access with fiber is a winning proposition for small cells for MNOs.”
Rooftops that have access to fiber probably “already have some kind of broadband available around it,” whether that’s fiber, cable or FWA. “Fiber backhaul and underserved communities rarely goes hand and hand,” Entner added.
Why WISPs need fiber
For WISPs, a fiber backhaul connection is most commonly used to service tower locations or antenna sites with fiber needed for wireless capacity. But getting access to that backhaul is tricky, according to Logix SVP Jim Hintze.
WISPs often don’t have “natural real estate,” he explained to Fierce, so they have to attach to somebody else’s tower. Tower companies are generally into “very long-term leases,” around 10-20 years. WISPs aren’t really looking for contracts that long because they “tend to operate on a more annualized basis.”
Logix touts it holds rooftop access rights to “hundreds” of fiber-connected buildings. The company argues securing 5G rooftop access and fiber in one transaction would be more affordable for WISPs, so they don't have to lock into a long-term contract with a tower provider or try to get fiber rights themselves.
“Similar to how we can offer fiber services to a tenant in the building, if a WISP only needs a two or three-year term and they want to combine fiber with the rooftop, it allows us to oversee the implementation,” Hintze said.
Fiber isn't just useful for mobile backhaul. With the abundance of BEAD and other government funding going around to expand high-speed connectivity (which usually translates to fiber broadband), WISPs want a piece of the pie. According to Wave7 Research principal Jeff Moore, the available state and federal funding is the top reason WISPs are now deploying more fiber, "no other reason was close."
Moore told Fierce he feels positive about what Logix is bringing to the table.
“It’s all about core competency,” he said. “Logix is focused on fiber. Deploying this to rooftops where WISPs can use it and monetizing the build in part via giving access makes sense.”
“Core competency” in this case refers to delivering a wireless broadband signal to customers. Having this rooftop access allows WISPs to do that “at a reasonable cost,” Moore said.
It could also help WISPs in rural areas pursue BEAD funds. “The larger the footprint WISPs have, the stronger their application for funding will be,” he noted.
Expanding horizons
Not only does Logix think it can help wireless operators provide better cell coverage in dense metro areas, but it can also enable WISPs to take advantage of newer fixed wireless access (FWA) technology that “allows longer reach,” said Hintze.
Logix is helping wireless operators expand their networks across the Austin, Dallas-Fort Worth, Houston and San Antonio metro areas. Many of the buildings in these cities are 20 to 30 stories tall, giving operators “a great line of sight” that could stretch even to some suburban and rural markets, he said.
Mike Wendy, communications director with the trade group Wireless Internet Service Providers Association (WISPA), said while Logix’s solution sounds interesting, it seems to be more focused on “key” markets (i.e.; urban) than rural areas.
“That said, to the extent the company moves into rural or unserved markets, I could see Logix helping WISPs achieve scale more quickly,” Wendy told Fierce.
Logix can provide “ready-made infrastructure which avoids the cost, complexity and time it takes to permit and then build similar fiber-connected vertical facilities,” he said.