Wireless Broadband in the Enterprise
US wireless Carrier networks have evolved to the point where Wireless Broadband offerings are becoming increasingly prevalent with service levels that are robust enough to support the needs of enterprise customers. While the terminology can vary by Carriers, Wireless Broadband is defined here as a 4G/5G wireless data connection associated with a geographically fixed asset, such as a Router or Cellular Module. G2 has seen its customers leverage Wireless Broadband in their network engineering strategies at an increasing rate as companies continue to transform their networks from MPLS to SDWAN. Wireless Broadband is often leveraged as a back-up/failover secondary or tertiary connection but may also be suitable to serve as a primary connection in cases where traditional broadband, dedicated internet or fiber is not available.
Carriers typically offer Wireless Broadband Service with unlimited data and a “best effort” up to maximum speed level. It is critical to read the fine print in the plan terms as most unlimited data plans have data usage thresholds where the Carrier may throttle or deprioritize data usage for the remainder of the bill cycle after some level of data usage is reached. Throttling or deprioritization can dramatically degrade service levels when enacted, so full diligence is advised when deploying Wireless Broadband, particularly in use cases where it is intended to serve as the primary means of connectivity. Currently, the only way to purchase truly unlimited Wireless Broadband data service without throttling or deprioritization thresholds is to utilize 5G C-Band/Ultrawideband network connectivity. 5G C-Band/Ultrawideband connectivity provides fast speeds ranging from 300 Mbps to 1Gbps, however coverage is limited compared to 4G LTE and other types of 5G service. Additionally, the cost and resources needed to install the required on-premise equipment must be considered.
The most common way to purchase Wireless Broadband service without throttling or prioritization restrictions is to utilize pooled/shared data plans. Most Carriers have standard pooled data plan offerings, however G2’s best practice is to negotiate custom rate plans based on the requirements of your specific use case. In situations where pooled data plans are being used in a back-up function, G2 cautions against pooled data plan offerings that force the majority of no/low data usage SIMs to subsidize the minority of high data usage SIMs. Treating the minority of high data usage SIMs separately from the low/no data usage SIMs usually yields the lowest overall cost of ownership (“TCO”).
Wireless Broadband is becoming more viable each day and it will likely be part of your network strategy in the future if it isn’t already. When it comes to negotiating custom rate offers, there are a lot of variables that must be considered to ensure that the best end-user experience and lowest TCO is achieved. As Wireless Broadband offerings continue to evolve, G2 will continue to monitor the market and leverage our proprietary database to deliver leading-edge contracts to our customers.