Fibocom's Upper-6 GHz Module Gives Carriers 10-Gbps FWA Path for Enterprise Sites

Upper-6 GHz Support Expands Fixed Wireless Capacity

Fibocom introduced the FG390-MEA-30 fixed-wireless-access module on October 14, adding support for NR band n104 across 6,425–7,125 MHz—a 700 MHz upper-6 GHz block. Built on MediaTek's T930 platform and 3GPP Release 18, the module supports carrier aggregation between n104 and sub-6 GHz bands including n41 and n78, with a peak downlink capability of 10 Gbps. The module targets indoor customer-premises equipment, outdoor units, and enterprise gateways, not smartphones.

The development gives operators a higher-capacity alternative to fiber for selected business sites, particularly locations where trenching is expensive, deployment is slow, or connectivity needs are temporary. Upper-6 GHz spectrum offers more bandwidth than lower-frequency bands but shorter range and worse propagation through obstacles. Performance will depend on cell density, line of sight, outdoor-unit placement, and local spectrum authorization.

What Enterprises Can and Cannot Conclude

The 10-Gbps figure is a peak chipset capability. Fibocom did not report field throughput, latency, range, customer deployments, operator contracts, pricing, or commercial availability dates. The announcement does not prove that fixed wireless can match fiber for guaranteed enterprise service levels.

Enterprises opening branches, construction sites, warehouses, or temporary facilities could evaluate high-capacity FWA instead of waiting for a fiber build. The immediate value is strategic optionality—avoiding months-long fiber installations—not a demonstrated price advantage. Buyers should request measured upload and download throughput, latency, jitter, availability commitments, and performance at peak utilization rather than accept the 10-Gbps peak figure.

Organizations standardizing on 5G gateways should verify that proposed equipment supports n104 and the operator's exact carrier-aggregation combinations. The module's n41/n104 and n78/n104 support does not guarantee compatibility with every carrier's spectrum plan.

Competitive Implications for Fiber and Cable

The module strengthens FWA competition against fiber-to-the-premises and business Ethernet where physical infrastructure is constrained. It competes directly with fiber providers, cable operators, private-5G vendors, and other 5G CPE platforms from Qualcomm, MediaTek, and vendor-integrated designs.

Carriers that secure upper-6 GHz spectrum can now purchase hardware capable of delivering multi-gigabit connectivity without trenching. That reduces the time and capital required to connect new enterprise sites, particularly in urban areas where construction permits slow fiber deployment or in temporary locations where long-term infrastructure investment makes no sense.

The development does not eliminate fiber's advantages in guaranteed bandwidth, symmetric upload performance, or predictable latency. Upper-6 GHz propagation is worse than lower-frequency spectrum, so coverage will require denser cell deployments than sub-6 GHz networks. Enterprises requiring guaranteed uptime and low-latency applications should still default to fiber where available.

VodafoneThree Shares Gatwick Network with Three Customers

VodafoneThree deployed Multi-Operator Core Network sharing at London Gatwick Airport, allowing Three customers to use Vodafone's existing 4G and 5G infrastructure at the airport. Vodafone deployed dedicated coverage in both terminals in 2022 and upgraded to 5G standalone in 2025.

The move illustrates how VodafoneThree is using network sharing rather than duplicating radio infrastructure. It improves Three's enterprise-relevant coverage in a high-density venue while reducing the need for separate parallel deployments. The announcement does not disclose the number of radios, capacity, enterprise customers, throughput results, or incremental investment.

Enterprises operating at Gatwick can treat Vodafone and Three mobile coverage as more converged, potentially simplifying carrier evaluations for staff, connected equipment, and venue operations. Buyers should still validate indoor coverage by terminal, uplink performance, roaming behavior, and service-level support. Shared radio access does not mean identical core-network policies or enterprise support. No customer pricing change was disclosed.

What to Watch

Monitor operator announcements of upper-6 GHz spectrum auctions and licensing. The Fibocom module is only useful where carriers hold n104 licenses and deploy compatible infrastructure. Enterprises in markets without upper-6 GHz allocation should not factor this hardware into connectivity plans yet.

Request field performance data when operators begin commercial deployments. The 10-Gbps peak capability will drop in real-world conditions due to distance, interference, network load, and spectrum availability. Buyers should establish minimum acceptable throughput and availability thresholds before evaluating FWA against fiber.

Compare total cost of ownership across fiber, FWA, and backup connectivity options. The module's announcement provides no pricing for hardware or service. Its immediate value is faster deployment for temporary or hard-to-reach sites, not proven cost savings over fiber.