Short answer
It depends on the type. Licensed microwave is carrier-grade and consistent, fixed wireless depends on coverage and capacity at your address, and LTE/5G is best-effort and varies with network load. In every case FirstNet can add a diverse backup.
In detail
How the three FirstNet wireless options compare:
- Microwave Broadband: licensed point-to-point or point-to-multipoint radio from a high site to your premises. Engineered fixed access, more consistent than mobile broadband, subject to a line-of-sight survey.
- Fixed wireless (FWA / Fixed 5G): a packaged, contended fixed-site service, usually with an availability target of up to about 99% and next-business-day fault restoration as standard.
- LTE/5G: carrier-agnostic mobile broadband on the strongest network at your site, best-effort with no fixed uptime SLA.
Reliability also comes from the groundwork. Every wireless option is validated for your exact address before installation, because trees, buildings, terrain and rooftop access affect delivery. Services run only through ICASA-licensed operators on approved spectrum, with ICASA type-approved routers and antennas and no unlicensed Wi-Fi bridging.
Wireless also has a resilience advantage: it does not share fibre's trench, which makes it a strong backup for a fibre primary.
Source: FirstNet Wireless Connectivity service page →
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