The ITU recently announced a fundraising effort to raise $100 billion by 2026 to fund solutions to the lack of affordable Internet access in the least developed countries (LDCs). The Internet Society has noted that nearly three billion people are being left behind as they are living without access to the Internet. Of the world’s 46 LDCs, the Internet is considered to be affordable in just two of them. Yet access to the Internet is considered critical to the sustainable development of LDCs.

One solution to the digital divide could be broadband provision to homes and businesses using low earth orbit (LEO) satellites. Many mobile network operators are also entering into partnerships with LEO operators to provide 5G satellite to mobile phone services in hard-to-reach areas.

An alternative to non-terrestrial networks is fixed wireless access (FWA) using 4G (LTE) or 5G technology. However, currently, 5G FWA services are mainly limited to more prosperous areas such as the USA and Europe. In a recent survey, a 5G FWA service in Norway was found to provide the highest download speeds in Europe with speeds of over one gigabit per second. So, ironically, such new technologies are currently further increasing the gap between developed and least developed economies.

Apart from the infrastructure necessary for broadband and mobile provision, training those who will build and maintain those networks is also important. PTT offers a range of online courses covering LEO and 4G/5G FWA and mobile services.

In just a couple of decades, mobile devices have become essential tools that most of us cannot live without. It is hard to imagine a life without having a device in your pocket that gives instant access to information, productivity tools and social interaction.

From the basic voice communications afforded by 1st and 2nd generation systems through to the increasingly speedy data connections afforded by later generations, mobile technology has evolved greatly over the years and looks to have even greater potential in the future.

PTT has always been at the forefront of training on mobile technology subjects and understands the importance of keeping up to date with technological developments. The agility offered by e-learning means we can keep our courses constantly up to date, which is incredibly important when discussing ever evolving subjects such as mobile technologies.

PTT has just released an updated version of the “Introduction to mobile systems” course. This course introduces concepts which are used in most types of mobile systems, like handover and roaming, and cellular traffic handling. The course also reviews the various generations from 2G to 5G comparing their performance, and operation, and network structure.

The growth of fibre to the premises continues with the UK operator Openreach announcing that their “full fibre” broadband is now available to 10 million homes with 3 million of these residing in hard to reach rural areas. Their ultimate goal is to reach 25 million homes by the end of 2026.

But there is an alternative to fibre especially where providing fixed lines to homes in scattered communities is uneconomic. Fixed wireless access (FWA) using 5G technology is emerging as a competitive option for broadband in both developed and emerging markets.

And it’s not just rural communities that could benefit from FWA. For example, major operators in the USA see a huge opportunity for FWA in urban areas where cable customers are dissatisfied with their existing broadband service.

Operators in western Europe are also now providing FWA with EE planning to cover 90% of the UK with 5G FWA by 2028.

So, although some have doubted the claimed benefits of the role out of 5G mobile services given the large investment required, the use of 5G technologies for FWA will realise their full potential.

The PTT online course Wireless communications introduces the principles of FWA while other PTT courses provide a detailed treatment of 5G technologies.