Deutsche Telekom is conducting a field test of 5G fixed wireless access (FWA) service with up to 800 customers in Germany until August 2022. In order to participate in the trial, customers must already be subscribers of a DT fixed-network line with a MagentaZuhause rate plan, and they must also be able to access DT’s 5G network.
The operator is calling the trial “Hybrid 5G” because it combines 5G with a customer’s fixed broadband line. Participants in the trial will get up to 500 Mbps 5G FWA to supplement their wired broadband connection.
“Our idea is that we optimize the fixed-line performance with 5G,” wrote a DT spokesperson in an email. “We want to protect mobile communications resources.”
Even though the FWA service is free during the trial, participants will need to buy a Speedport Smart 4 router for €169.99 ($192.78) or rent one for €5.95 ($6.75) per month. If a participant in the trial already has a Speedport Smart 4, then they only need to install the appropriate software update.
DT’s 5G FWA is a point-to-multipoint solution. The Speedport router works in combination with a weatherproof outdoor 5G receiver. The receiver is attached to the outside facade or a window where it can best receive the signals from the 5G network. Participants will get the receiver free of charge during the test period.
If data from the internet could be transmitted faster than the fixed-network line allows, then the router will automatically add the bandwidth of the 5G network. Hybrid 5G also offers more speed for users who work from home and retrieve and send large volumes of data. And Hybrid 5G also introduces redundancy in the event of an outage on either the wireless or fixed networks.
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DT is the parent company of T-Mobile US. And T-Mobile is already offering a FWA service as a landline replacement for consumers and businesses. But the DT spokesperson pointed out that T-Mobile US has no landline network, so its FWA offering is exclusively cellular.