Technicolor intros FWA/Wi-Fi indoor router combo

ATLANTA – The Connected Home Division of Technicolor (Euronext Paris: TCH, OTCQX: TCLRY) today announces the availability of Cobra 5G, an indoor customer premises equipment (CPE) solution that provides an ultimate fixed wireless access (FWA) modem and high-fidelity Wi-Fi router functionality in a single enclosure.

The device addresses the connectivity and performance issues created by signal attenuation—or weakening—as traffic passes through the walls of homes. Even if outdoor deployment remains the way to reach highest 5G speeds (see Technicolor's 5G Omni Outdoor CPE), wherever possible, operators prioritize the one-unit self-install indoor CPE deployment as it reduces the total cost of ownership for the FWA service.

Optimizing 5G Access to the Home

While network operators have been aggressively rolling out 5G FWA services to subscribers by leveraging the newly available C-band spectrum, attenuation has prevented NSPs from delivering a reliable single-unit in-door solution.

For instance, typical fixed broadband users consume 300GB of data per month compared to 4G mobile device plans—which operate below the 3.5GHz band—that have an average usage of 30GB per month. When a significant portion of FWA traffic is pushed to lower bands congestion is created, reducing performance.

The Cobra 5G solution from Technicolor Connected Home leverages its breakthrough Indoor5G technology to manage traffic in a dynamic and intelligent manner. It allows the antennas in the gateway device to self-optimize by automatically tuning the direction and configuration of its internal antenna system to ensure the best 3.5Ghz reception from operators' towers. By improving 3.5GHz downlink and uplink throughput performance, NSPs avoid loading lower frequencies with heavy home broadband FWA traffic.

Cobra 5G, powered by Qualcomm Technologies leading 5G solutions – Qualcomm Fixed Wireless Access Platform Gen 2 featuring Snapdragon X65 and X62 5G Modem-RF Systems – brings FWA to a new level (coverage improvement, increased system capacity and higher user experience). Superior performances are achieved with Snapdragon X65 thanks to its 8Rx antenna design, 3x Carrier Aggregation 5G downlink capability, its wide 200MHz 5G bandwidth and a transmit power enhanced by 3dB in 3.5Ghz range. These capabilities will yield even more benefits when the networks migrate to 5G SA. This is making Cobra 5G the most future-proof indoor CPE on the market.

Technicolor