Discover how Fixed Wireless Access beats Fibre

Fixed Wireless Access and Fibre Optic are great technologies’ that provide the end user with opportunities to gain fast reliable internet access for their business.  That said, there is a lot of difference between the two competing technologies that need to be understood.

Fibre is often marketed as being the best/fastest product without providing people with the full picture.  We believe that the customer should be informed to make the right choice for themselves , instead of the most profitable product for the seller.

We explore here, some of the pitfalls of fibre when compared with wireless, (which many fibre companies try to keep from you) along with the downsides of wireless.

Wireless is Faster to install

With no streets to dig up, wayleaves to secure or road closures to organise, Fixed Wireless Access is deployed within 10 working days with most installs done in 3 days.

Wireless is More Cost effective

Due to the lower cost of deployment with Wireless (vs Fibre), we’re able to offer monthly rolling contracts, allowing you the flexibility of not being tied into long and onerous contracts.

Wireless is more Reliable

Fixed Wireless Access is generally more reliable, hence why we can offer 100% Service Level Agreements. Fibre does suffer a lot from breaks, especially in city centers and urban areas due to regular road works and continual customers being added to existing fibre networks continually

Wireless isn’t shared like fibre

Many FTTP providers are deploying Gigabit capable” GPON, XGS-PON or 10GPON, which is over a decade old as standards and is a 1.25Gbps or 2.5Gbps connection, shared between premises.  Fixed Wireless Access is Direct, point to point with 100% guaranteed speeds that are not shared with your neighbours.

Fibre is very carbon intensive

Digging up roads to lay fibre, re-laying tarmac (an oil product) and the making of fibre itself (glass) generates huge amounts of carbon. Fibre uses approx. 20g of carbon per Mbps, whereas Fixed Wireless access product is 5g , 4 times less.

Say No to Fibre Breaks

In the last 12 months alone, 14.85 million people in the UK have suffered due to fibre breaks and that’s cost the UK economy £1.3bn. Could your business survive if it’s your turn next?

No Trenching city streets

Many customers who want fibre have to wait months or even years for it to arrive and passing their premises in order to qualify, then have the outside of their building dug up, exposing underground trenches, causing traffic jams, nuisance and inconveniencing everyone else.

Fibre isn’t Secure

Fibre enters buildings from the street in the form of publicly accessible footboxes, chambers and access pits.  Anyone can open these up and connect onto your private fibre.  With Fixed Wireless Access, its high up on a roof with your internet traffic encrypted to banking standards, all the way through.

It’s doesn’t go near a BT Exchange

Fixed Wireless Access doesn’t touch a BT exchange, street cabinet, it’s not connected to Openreach or needs devices in the middle that can fail (power, breaks etc) or is open to attack on a public highway.

Ready for Downtime due to Cable Theft?

Due to the endless campaign of copper cable thefts in July 2022 alone, over 8000 premises where affected when thieves dug up fibre optic cable, mistaking it for copper, affecting everyone downstream for an average of 6 working days, could your business be next?

Fibre is based around it’s street furniture

Fibre is dependent on street cabinets (that get damaged by vehicles), underground chambers that get flooded, it’s joined in underground pits that are continually disturbed by competitors pulling their own competing fibre alongside yours, potentially causing downtime.

Is your upload and download the same?

It is on Fixed Wireless Access.  Many fibre providers set your upload less than your download, hampering your business, as businesses use the upload more than the download.

Fibre doesn’t use renewable energy

Fibre going from/to BT Exchanges is powered by non-renewable energy, with BT themselves being one the most polluting Telecoms Companies in the country. Baltic are 100% powered by renewable energy, ensuring that your internet connection from us is carbon free.

Wireless provides Lower Latency

Thanks to the Roman based street design in Britain, fibre follows streets in a grid style layout, making the fibre distance much greater. Fixed Wireless Access uses most direct path between two points (as the crow flies), resulting in fast speeds and lower latency, ideal for VoIP, CCTV, Gaming, Video calls and more.

Faster Speeds Available

Fibre to the premises is limited by the fibre providers infrastructure to 1Gbps or 10Gbps, however with Fixed Wireless Access, we can provide any speed up to 40Gbps (upload and download).

Say no to fibre tax

Fibre now attracts a council tax charge based on every meter its installed.

Wireless Disadvantages

It’s not available in all areas

Not all areas can get Fixed Wireless Access as it requires infrastructure to be available that serves your property.  That said, Baltic is enabling new areas all of the time.

It needs line of sight to operate

Fixed Wireless Access needs to be able to bring in the signal from the remote end.  This means that if tall buildings are blocking the route, your property may not be able to receive the service.

It needs a small wireless dish installing

Fixed Wireless Access needs a small dish, about the size of a dinner plate, installed on the side or the roof of your property.  If your landlord does not agree to you having the dish present, you may not be able to receive the service.

What Our Customers Say about Wireless

We've had fibre for years and regularly have at least 2 fibre breaks each year without fail. While our old provider does come out and repair it for free, the downtime to our business was severe. Since we switched to Baltic's Fixed Wireless Access product, we've had 2.3 years continual service so far without any downtime at all, despite local power cuts, 100mph winds, bad weather, heat waves and more!

Tim Ackers, Mclaren Automotive

We are very happy with Baltic's Fixed Wireless Access product, we've had one single downtime event in 3 years (that was our own power cut) and no cause or reason to contact Baltic's support due to the fantastic uptime we've enjoyed. The business next door to us has a fibre coming into his property and has endured years of misery with the regular failures, that is, until we told him about Baltic and he's now moved over.

Sarah Roberts, Pioneer Healthcare

Baltic's team went the extra mile with supplying their Fixed Wireless Access product into our new premises at Liverpool One. So far, we've enjoyed an excellent & stable service that had beat the competition hands down.

Mark Beardsell, CBRE Managed Services Ltd

We already have fibre into our premises that acts as our main line for our 80+ office based staff. We use Baltic's Fixed Wireless product as a backup as it's a perfect technology to counter the often fibre breaks that we have on the main line. Wireless is an ideal product to use as a backup because it does not travel along the same routes as fibre, it simply comes through the air. Now we have the best of both worlds.

Large PLC in Liverpool

Baltic installed a high speed service using the fixed wireless access product. We are very happy with the performance provided and the additional support with upgrading it (within hours) as our team has expanded. With being Wireless, we did not need to have fibre cables installed or our car park dug-up, so we are happy in many areas!

Mike Mounfield, Lu Ban Restaurant Limited

Baltic set up our new Fixed Wireless Access service in record time. We've enjoyed high speeds and super reliable service all the way through.

James, Rose, St James House PLC

Fixed Wireless Access was clearly the choice when faced with months of road closures, digging up the city's streets and the pain having to deal with overseas call centres for 9+ months (with BT). One call to Baltic resulted in a 1Gbps service that was installed within 4 working days and more stable that we've ever had from any of the other providers in our other properties.

John Graham, Contract Vehicles

Baltic's Fixed Wireless Access Product allowed us to get up and running within a matter of days, while BT and others had a 6 month lead-time. Their 20Gbps of Internet provided us with a stable, cost effective service that was very fast and reliable.

Cream Liverpool

Baltic have been able to setup the Fixed Wireless Internet product to our premises within just a few days and for at least half the cost of the nearest competition. As we share the building with our tenants, it was also a great asset to help attract people into our space as we have Liverpool's Fastest internet already installed and waiting for them!

Rachel Bird, City Hearts