Common Networks, a venture capital-backed startup founded in 2016, has launched 5G fixed wireless service in San Leandro, California. The offering supports service at speeds as high as 300 Mbps, the company said. A 20 Mbps offering is available for $34 a month and an 80 Mbps service costs $39 monthly, said Common Networks CEO and Co-founder Zach Brock in an email to Telecompetitor.
As Brock explained, the offering will use Common Network’s proprietary software, which is “built on open 5G technology.”
Brock also noted that “Our plans are providing free installation and including all equipment under one set price – all without taxes, fees or data caps.”
Common Networks 5G Fixed Wireless
Common Networks will use unlicensed spectrum to support its 5G fixed wireless offering, Brock said. He didn’t state the spectrum band in which the service operates.
The offering also will leverage the fiber network that the city of San Leandro began building in 2011 and which is operated by Lit San Leandro, a public-private partnership.
“Common leases access to this fiber ring to connect homes back to the internet,” Brock said.
The highest-profile 5G fixed wireless service launched to date is the Verizon 5G Home offering launched last year. Some industry observers questioned the economics of that offering and, considering that Verizon charges somewhat more than Common Networks, that would seem to put Common Networks’ economics into question as well.
Asked about this, Brock said “Compared to a traditional hub-and-spoke wireless network, our graph-based approach means more people can access a high-speed connection, with only a few sites needing to be directly connected to a fiber source.”
It’s also worth noting that Verizon has said that the economics of its initial 5G Home service is not representative of what the company will experience moving forward.
As Common Networks explains in a press release, customers signing up for service prior to October 15 will receive three months of service for free.
