Despite years of broadband investment, large parts of rural and suburban America remain underserved. Fiber remains the gold standard for high-speed connectivity, but it is not always the fastest, most practical, or most economical path to coverage. High capital costs, challenging terrain, right-of-way issues, and extended permitting cycles can delay deployment for years. In the meantime, residents and businesses are left without the connectivity they need.
The path forward increasingly relies on blending technologies. As part of the world’s largest unlicensed Fixed Wireless Access (FWA) network, Mimosa Networks is helping service providers close the gap where fiber can’t reach—delivering high-capacity, reliable connectivity in a fraction of the time and cost of traditional builds.
The Challenge
Even the most ambitious fiber rollouts face barriers: mountain ranges that complicate trenching, low-lying flood zones that limit construction, or neighborhoods where the economics of cost per subscriber don’t justify a wired build. Dense forests and heavily obstructed terrain pose challenges for any technology, including Fixed Wireless Access, though certain options such as CBRS spectrum may perform better in these environments. In reality, no single technology is a perfect fit for every situation. FWA is one of several viable alternatives to fiber—alongside CBRS, mobile networks, and satellite—that can be used strategically to overcome deployment hurdles and extend broadband where fiber cannot go.
In these situations, Fixed Wireless Access offers a practical, scalable solution. By avoiding trenching and pole attachments, FWA bypasses many of the regulatory and logistical hurdles that slow wired projects. Operating in both licensed and unlicensed spectrum, it can deliver high-throughput connections over long distances and in varied environments—serving as both a primary access technology and a complement to fiber.
Wireless as a Force Multiplier
Around the world, wireless is playing a critical role in national broadband strategies. One example is in India, where Mimosa radios are part of a broader Broadband Wireless Access plan designed to connect hundreds of millions of homes. Here, wireless isn’t replacing fiber—it’s augmenting it. When fiber stops short of a community, a Mimosa backhaul or point-to-multipoint (PTMP) link can bridge the remaining distance, connect multi-dwelling units, or close gaps in existing infrastructure.
The same approach applies in the U.S. and other markets. A single PTMP hub can serve clusters of homes in areas where fiber builds aren’t feasible. Backhaul links can extend capacity into rural pockets without waiting for trenching. For operators, this means faster time-to-service, lower upfront investment, and more flexible network design.
The Role of Technology Innovation
Modern FWA has evolved far beyond its early iterations. Wideband operation up to 160 MHz, improved non-line-of-sight (NLOS) performance, and advanced spectrum management driven by AI/Machine Learning are enabling higher capacity and more consistent performance, even in shared or interference-prone bands.
Mimosa’s portfolio—centered on access, backhaul, and client radios—has been engineered to take advantage of these advances. Radios can operate in multiple modes, adapt to different topologies, and be deployed with minimal infrastructure. This adaptability is critical for service providers facing a mix of urban, suburban, and rural environments, where no single technology fits every scenario.
Scaling Smarter Networks
Federal programs like the Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) initiative are designed to expand high-speed coverage, but funding alone can’t eliminate the practical challenges of fiber deployment. By integrating FWA into broadband planning from the outset, service providers can reach more households sooner—reserving fiber for areas where it delivers the most impact and using wireless to fill coverage gaps.
Through partnerships with ISPs, municipalities, and state agencies, Mimosa’s solutions have been deployed in diverse geographies and climates, delivering fiber-equivalent speeds where other methods would have stalled. The result is not just faster rollouts, but more sustainable, scalable networks.
Extending the Reach
The future of broadband will not be built on a single technology. Fiber remains essential, but wireless—especially unlicensed FWA—has proven to be an equally vital component in creating resilient, inclusive networks. From bridging last-mile gaps to connecting entire communities, wireless extends the reach of national and regional broadband strategies.
By demonstrating success at massive scale and in some of the most challenging environments, projects like Jio’s illustrate the potential of combining fiber and fixed wireless. As more providers embrace this multi-access approach, the goal of universal broadband moves closer to reality—ensuring no home or business is left waiting simply because fiber can’t get there.