•Cell-edge uplink improves up to tenfold with higher terminal transmit power, boosting coverage consistency
•Higher transmit power reduces site density requirements and strengthens FWA as a fibre alternative
The fact
Samsung Electronics and Qualcomm have tested 5G Power Class 1 (PC1) for fixed wireless access using Samsung vRAN and Qualcomm's FWA modem platform. Results show up to 10x uplink improvement at cell-edge and around 1.4x coverage increase versus lower power classes. Testing covered lab and early field environments focused on FWA scenarios.
The assessment
The trials target 5G uplink constraints at cell-edge, where FWA performance is most sensitive. Higher terminal transmit power improves coverage consistency, strengthening FWA economics as a broadband alternative. The results also point to tighter alignment between device silicon and RAN design, with joint optimisation across the network stack replacing standalone hardware upgrades.
What to watch
Whether PC1 support reaches commercial FWA CPE shipments and next-generation vRAN deployments, and which operators move beyond lab validation to field trials.
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