Ultra-fast, long range wireless coming to rural England and Wales

nGFWA is lightning connectivity solution from California-based Tarana, offering rapid speeds even in difficult-to-reach locations. 

Airband, which already has a rural broadband network covering Wales and South West England using mix of Fixed Wireless Access and Full Fibre tech, has now become Europe’s first operator to us the next-gen wireless platform. 

Once online, the system will be able to offer ‘fibre-class speeds’ of up to 400Mbps at ranges of up to 7km. This makes it an ideal solution for bringing remote communities into the 21st Century in so far as connectivity goes. Meanwhile, it will also provide a coverage boost on top of existing kit. 

Trials of the network recently began, and five of Airband’s 450 mast sites have now gone live, with the sixth to come online next month. Most of these locations are still reliant on legacy technology, which will be replaced over the coming months and years. Tenbury Wales is already active, with the service covering Penrhyn Bay, Barnstaple, Bovey Tracey & Newton Abbot and Llangollen. 

‘With Tarana, we’re putting connectivity first. ngFWA has made it simpler for us to grow our network and connect more homes and business. We look forward to bringing high-speed service to more communities that are waiting for a better broadband option,’ said Kash Rahman, Managing Director at Airband. 

‘We are thrilled to see ngFWA technology taking off in the UK. Airband is dedicated to their customers, and we are honoured to support them as they expand into new territories to further narrow the country’s digital divide,’ added Basil Alwan, Tarana CEO. 

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Image: Annie Spratt