C Spire, a service provider in Mississippi, is partnering with Inseego to launch a fixed wireless access (FWA) 5G internet service to provide broadband to underserved addresses in the state.
The 5G Home Internet service will provide download speeds of 100 Mbps and includes a router from Inseego.
The announcement cites Broadbandnow.com’s assessment that 23% of households in the state lack connectivity. The company says that the service will address this by “leverage[ing] extra capacity and speed” of its 5G network.
Inseego will provide its 5G Wavemaker FX3110 indoor cellular router, which supports as many as 64 connected devices.
“Reliable internet service is no longer optional to support opportunities for education, economic development, and technological opportunities in communities we serve,” Craig Jackson, the senior vice president and general manager of consumer markets for C Spire said in the announcement.
“The launch of 5G Home Internet is another way C Spire is adding value for our customers and bridging the digital divide by increasing connectivity in our home state.”
The C Spire 5G Home Internet service became available to a limited number of customers on January 19.
FWA is rapidly gaining market share. Last March, the Leichtman Research Group said that FWA accounted for 104% of total net broadband additions during 2023 among providers offering more than 95% of broadband lines. FWA represented 90% of the net additions in 2022 and 20% of net additions in 2021.
FWA is popular beyond being an option for addresses in areas that are difficult to reach with wired services. Last April, J.D. Power released results of a survey of more than 26,000 Internet users that FWA outpaced fiber, cable broadband, DSL and fixed wireless based on 4G LTE in customer satisfaction.
Satisfaction scores for 5G FWA ranged from 775 to about 825 on a 1,000-point scale, depending on the provider.
