Fixed Wireless Access (FWA) for 4G and 5G
Course Overview
This course provides a comprehensive, expert-level understanding of Fixed Wireless Access (FWA) technologies delivered over 4G LTE and 5G NR mobile networks. It bridges business strategy, radio engineering, transport architecture, core network design, QoS, security, and future evolution — equipping participants to plan, deploy, and optimize real-world FWA networks.
The course also addresses the architectural decisions unique to FWA, including NSA vs SA 5G core selection, UPF placement strategies, CPE link budget engineering, mmWave propagation challenges, and AI-driven RAN optimization, with practical workshops reinforcing each topic.
Target Audience
- Radio planners and RF engineers
- Transport and core network engineers
- Solution architects
- Pre-sales and technical consultants
- Operations and optimization teams
Duration & Training Format
Instructor-led Training
- Classroom: 5 days
- LIVE Virtual: 35 hours
*Note:
- A minimum of 8 or more participants is required for a Classroom session to commence.
- A minimum of 6 or more participants is required for a LIVE Virtual session to commence.
- LIVE Virtual courses can be conducted for 5 hours or 7 hours daily. Please note that the number of training days will be extended if you opt for 5 hours daily.
Upcoming Course Dates
There are no upcoming course dates currently scheduled for this course. If you are keen on attending this course, please register your interest and indicate your preferred training dates via our course enquiry form for us to open a Classroom/LIVE Virtual class schedule for this course.
Course Objectives
At the end of the course, participants will be able to:
- Explain the FWA technology landscape, business case, and competitive positioning vs. fiber and satellite
- Design end-to-end FWA architectures for LTE EPC and 5G SA/NSA core deployments
- Perform radio link budget calculations, sector capacity dimensioning, and CPE placement analysis
- Define spectrum allocation strategies across low-band, mid-band (3.5 GHz), and mmWave (26/28 GHz)
- Design transport and backhaul networks meeting FWA latency, throughput, and resiliency requirements
- Configure QoS policies differentiating enterprise, residential, and latency-sensitive traffic
- Apply performance monitoring frameworks and AI-driven optimization techniques to live FWA networks
- Identify and address security vulnerabilities specific to FWA deployments
- Evaluate the impact of 5G Advanced, O-RAN, and 6G evolution on FWA architecture
Course Outline
- Introduction to Fixed Wireless Access
- Definition of FWA and its Role in the Broadband Ecosystem
- Historical evolution
- Technology comparison
- Use Case Segmentation
- LTE-based FWA vs 5G NR FWA
- Global Market Trends:
- Regulatory Landscape and Spectrum Licensing Considerations
- Business and Service Drivers
- Revenue Model Analysis
- Digital Inclusion
- Time-to-market Advantage over Fiber
- CAPEX/OPEX Modeling
- Enterprise and SME Connectivity
- Bundling Strategies
- Wholesale FWA and Neutral Host Business Models
- End-to-End FWA Architecture
- High-level FWA Network Architecture
- gNB / eNB Roles and Functional Split Options for FWA
- EPC-based (LTE) FWA Architecture
- 5G NSA FWA Architecture
- 5G SA FWA Architecture
- Internet Breakout Models
- OSS/BSS Integration
- eSIM / iSIM Architecture for CPE Remote Provisioning
- Radio Design for FWA
- Coverage vs. Capacity Trade-offs Specific to FWA (High ARPU, High BW Demand)
- FWA Link Budget Fundamentals
- 5G NR Numerology for FWA
- Indoor vs. Outdoor CPE Deployment
- Massive MIMO and Beamforming for FWA
- mmWave (26/28 GHz) Deployment Principles
- Propagation Characteristics
- Sectorization Strategies
- SINR Target Setting And Throughput Optimization per FWA Subscriber Tier
- Cell Edge Performance
- Spectrum Allocation Strategy
- Low-band (700/800 MHz)
- Mid-band (3.4–3.8 GHz)
- mmWave (24–28 GHz, 39 GHz)
- Spectrum Refarming
- TDD vs. FDD Considerations
- Dedicated FWA Spectrum vs. Shared Mobile Broadband
- Carrier Aggregation (CA)
- Dynamic Spectrum Sharing (DSS)
- SDL (Supplemental Downlink) for FWA Throughput Enhancement
- NR-U (Unlicensed 6 GHz)
- Capacity Planning
- Subscriber Density Modeling
- Busy Hour Traffic Analysis
- Oversubscription Ratio Design
- Cell Capacity Estimation
- Throughput Engineering
- Traffic Forecasting
- Backhaul Dimensioning
- KPI-based Expansion Triggers
- CPE Architecture and Selection
- Indoor CPE
- Outdoor CPE
- LTE and 5G NR CPE Modem Chipsets
- Integrated Antenna Systems
- Wi-Fi Integration
- Ethernet Interfaces
- SIM / eSIM / iSIM Considerations
- Remote Management: TR-069 (CWMP) and TR-369 (USP) Protocols
- Power and Environmental
- Transport Network Design and Architecture
- Backhaul Capacity Requirements for FWA
- Fiber Backhaul
- Microwave Backhaul
- Fronthaul, Midhaul, And Backhaul
- IP/MPLS for Transport
- Synchronization
- Transport Resiliency
- Latency and Jitter Constraints
- Core Network Considerations
- EPC for LTE FWA
- 5G Core for FWA
- NSA vs SA Core
- UPF Placement Strategies
- Local Breakout (ULCL)
- NAT and CGNAT
- IPv4/IPv6 Dual-stack
- Network Slicing for FWA
- Subscriber Policy Management
- AAA and Authentication
- QoS and Service Differentiation
- QoS Architecture in LTE
- 5G QoS Model
- AMBR (Aggregate Maximum Bit Rate)
- Traffic Shaping and Policing
- Sla Management
- Prioritization
- IPTV Optimization
- Gaming and WebRTC
- Congestion Management
- Deployment Models
- Urban FWA
- Suburban FWA
- Rural Broadband
- Enterprise FWA
- Temporary and Event FWA
- Neutral Host Models
- Private Network Integration
- Hybrid Fiber-Wireless
- Security Architecture
- FWA-specific Threat Vectors
- SIM/eSIM Cloning and Rogue CPE Mitigation
- Network Exposure
- Secure CPE Management
- Core Network Security
- Subscriber Data Protection
- Security Monitoring
- Zero-trust Principles for Enterprise FWA Managed Services
- Performance Monitoring and Optimization
- Key KPI Framework for FWA
- RAN KPIs
- Throughput Monitoring
- Subscriber Experience Metrics
- Latency Measurement
- Subscriber Churn Analysis
- Network Analytics Platforms
- AI-driven Optimization
- SON (Self-Organizing Network) for FWA
- Fault Management
- Predictive Maintenance
- Common Challenges and Troubleshooting
- Spectrum Congestion
- Capacity Saturation
- Interference
- Indoor Coverage Limitations
- Weather Impact on mmWave
- CPE Installation Complexity
- Transport Bottlenecks
- Core Network Issues
- Regulatory Challenges
- Deep Dive: 5G NR Radio for FWA
- 5G NR Air Interface Deep Dive
- NR Beam Management
- TDD Frame Structure Optimization for FWA DL-heavy Traffic Profiles
- Scheduling Algorithms
- HARQ and ARQ Interaction in FWA Latency Budgets
- Carrier Aggregation (CA) and Dual Connectivity (DC) for FWA Peak Rates
- Massive MIMO and mmWave Engineering
- Massive MIMO architecture
- Beamforming Modes
- mmWave Propagation Modeling
- mmWave Link Budget
- mmWave CPE Alignment
- IAB (Integrated Access and Backhaul) for mmWave FWA Mesh Extension
- AI/ML-Driven Network Optimization
- AI Use Cases in FWA
- ML Models for RAN Optimization
- Anomaly Detection
- Predictive Maintenance
- AI-native RAN (5G Advanced)
- Data Pipeline Design
- Future Evolution of FWA
- 5G Advanced (Rel-18/19)
- Integrated Access and Backhaul (IAB)
- NTN (Non-Terrestrial Networks)
- Wi-Fi 7 (802.11be)
- 6G Evolution
- Cloud-native FWA
- Convergence of Fiber and Wireless
Note: A Certificate of Completion will only be issued upon achieving at least 75% attendance for the course.
Prerequisites
- Basic understanding of LTE and 5G networks
- Familiarity with IP networking concepts (routing, switching, IP addressing, etc.)
- Basic understanding of how telecom systems are structured (RAN, core, transport layers)
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