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The small business guide to fixed wireless access

Author: Nick Reese

Date published: April 3, 2025

Your business depends on fast, reliable internet access to manage operations, gather data, connect machinery, and help employees remain productive. However, if you don't always have the convenience of a wired broadband connection when needed, fixed wireless access (FWA) could be a great solution to your connectivity dilemma.

Fixed wireless access FAQs

Fixed wireless access uses a 4G LTE or 5G wireless connection to enable broadband access using radio frequencies instead of fixed cables or traditional, wired connectivity. With FWA, you can give your small business fast internet connectivity in the field similar to the ones you get with a wired solution.

Unlike a wired solution, which can require extensive physical infrastructure, FWA solutions can be installed without the potential delays of digging trenches, laying wires, or engaging in disruptive construction. Fast, easy-to-install fixed wireless access connections could help your small business avoid the "last mile" implementation issues that can delay access and drive up costs.

Thanks to its speed, reliability, and flexibility, FWA can be a helpful connectivity solution for small businesses, making it one of the fastest-growing connectivity solutions on the market. According to Statista, global FWA connections are expected to exceed 350 million by 2030 with most global FWA connections using 5G networks by 2028.

Most fixed wireless internet solutions for small businesses include two components:

  • A receiver (or “gateway,” a device that is both a receiver and router in one). The receiver is a device that connects the business to a fixed or high-speed cellular network.
  • A router that emits a WiFi signal throughout the business workspace (separate router hardware not necessary for customers using a gateway device).

The receiver (sometimes called a “base unit”) connects to the cellular network via radio waves, enabling wireless access over great distances while ensuring that your internet service is only accessed by your authorized business, devices, and users.

Verizon provides two fixed wireless access options:

  • 4G LTE Business Internet. This solution can be deployed simply by plugging a gateway inside a business location. This solution provides out-of-the-box connectivity that covers 99% of the U.S. population, making it ideal for serving rural communities, managing field operations, and providing redundancy.
  • 5G Business Internet. This solution can be self or professionally installed, providing ultra-fast connectivity to businesses in most major cities nationwide. Small companies often choose this solution for use cases like providing internet for point-of-sale equipment, connecting temporary workspaces during construction projects, enabling remote monitoring, supporting remote workers, and so much more.

Businesses can experience several benefits from using fixed wireless access if it's the right solution for their situation. These benefits include savings by avoiding the need to create extensive physical infrastructure for connectivity with the added benefit of flexibility to allow businesses to scale connectivity in tandem with their business needs. You can rest assured that fixed wireless access is the right solution for your business if you need cost-effective, fast, reliable, and secure connectivity, even though an organization is in an area without existing physical infrastructure. It may also make perfect sense for your business if you need temporary connectivity for a special event or when you're looking for a backup solution for greater redundancy.

Because FWA can deliver high-speed internet access to areas without physical wiring, it allows you to access the reliable internet your business requires quickly. Benefits include:

  • Deployment speed. You can often get started with FWA  faster than with a wired solution. Just plug in the router and place it where you need internet. Your business can benefit from the newly installed connectivity within hours or days instead of weeks or months.
  • Flexibility. You can use FWA to power high-speed internet connections for your small business during temporary events such as a conference, a construction site, or a pop-up shop. Scale up or down when and where you need it; flexible, Wireless Verizon Business Internet solutions have no annual service contracts.
  • Reliability. High-speed network connections provide ample bandwidth for data-rich and mission-critical applications.
  • Affordability. Unlike a physical wired access solution, FWA doesn't require expensive physical infrastructure. This allows you to quickly provide internet access to a new office or a remote location without the delay of building a wired solution. Some providers offer even savings when you bundle services, like Verizon's select smartphone plan + FWA internet plan discount. 

FWA is often the right solution for small businesses looking to provide fast, reliable internet to remote locations where laying new wired infrastructure would be impractical or too costly. With no significant capital expenditures, it is often the most cost-effective way to get connectivity.

Small businesses are increasingly choosing to activate FWA solutions because it is typically easy to install—often as an alternative to wired broadband solutions. It is also easy to deploy, helping businesses get up to speed quickly.

In addition, FWA is often used when a business only needs to provide internet access for a limited time, such as a concert or exhibition. A temporary construction site is another good example; construction workers can leverage small business fixed wireless internet access while on the job without waiting for the building's wired solution to be installed.

Many small businesses also use FWA to provide business continuity as a backup solution to help keep critical applications running smoothly if wired connectivity fails.

Fixed wireless access internet has revolutionized how businesses across industries go to market quickly, reach new audiences, power Internet of Things (IoT) devices and more. Here are just a few innovative use cases to inspire ideas for how your business can leverage FWA.

Connect remote workers

Today's workforce has never been more flexible and agile, with employees working remotely at least some of the time. However, employees connecting on home networks often have to share bandwidth with other household members. Small businesses can provide fast, reliable FWA internet to their employees so they can connect securely when working from home.

Feed a hunger for insights with smart agriculture

Forget about the idea that farming is old-fashioned; today's farms are as connected as they come. Farmers are turning to smart agriculture technology like IoT device arrays to monitor soil conditions, manage irrigation systems, inspect plant health, and track weather across parcels of farmland. Fixed wireless access internet helps power these devices so they can transmit data back and forth to cloud-enabled platforms that allow farmers to make informed data-driven decisions, uncover patterns, and identify opportunities to increase yields.

In addition, 5G fixed wireless access internet can power technologies like automation and advanced robotics which can help farmers to manage larger parcels with autonomous tractors,  monitor conditions and spray pesticides with drones, and leverage robots to plant, harvest and prune crops. Fixed wireless access internet can also power IoT sensors, which can provide information that can help farmers know where attention is needed on the farm while also helping them to track and control their fleet of autonomous vehicles and robots.

Enable pop-up stores and store-within-a-store locations

Small businesses can leverage FWA to power pop-up kiosks, allowing them to do business effectively wherever their customers are. For example, the "store-within-a-store" concept allows businesses to set up a temporary or permanent kiosk within a larger business, such as a big box store, mall, hospital, or campus.

By using FWA for a "Bring Your Own Connectivity" (BYOC) approach, these smaller locations can get the connectivity they need to process sales, manage inventory, and communicate with customers without relying on the connectivity solutions used by the larger business.

Enable connectivity in small towns

People go to in-person events including holiday festivities and other special occasions in small towns to feel connected to others while enjoying seasonal activities, but they also expect a good network connection. However, the temporary nature of such events can mean installing a wired solution isn't always an option. With fixed wireless access, event organizers can bolster the connection by providing the dedicated connectivity required to power Point of Sale systems, wireless ATMs, immersive Augmented Reality/Virtual Reality (AR/VR) experiences, and more.

Network security is a key concern for small businesses. To help with those concerns, Verizon Business Internet Security is available with Verizon’s FWA solutions and offers immediate cybersecurity protection with no installation or IT support required. Features include:

  • Malicious website blocking. Proactively block users from access to malicious websites and content that may contain viruses.
  • Phishing prevention. Prevent users from downloading infected files or apps used to conduct phishing attacks.
  • Ransomware protection. Defend against attacks by preventing users from clicking on suspicious emails, ads, links, and websites.

While FWA is easy to implement and manage, you can do a few things to improve your experience. Best practices include:

  • Position the router where there is maximum signal strength and minimized obstructions.
  • Choose a fixed wireless access provider you can rely on that offers nationwide 5G/LTE coverage. Ask about bundle prices and promotions (for example, a discount if you add FWA to your smartphone plan).
  • Use internet security solutions to help safeguard devices at the network level.
  • Configure the network to prioritize critical or real-time applications.

Find more about how Verizon can help your small business access fast, secure and reliable internet from virtually anywhere.

The author of this content is a paid contributor for Verizon.

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