Geekzone: technology news, blogs, forums
Guest
Welcome Guest.
You haven't logged in yet. If you don't have an account you can register now.


mdav056

607 posts

Ultimate Geek

Subscriber

#205674 22-Nov-2016 21:49
Send private message

Does anyone have any idea or information about the future of Spark fixed wireless broadband?  Will it likely to go to 4.5G or even 5G at some stage? Would such a change mean replacing the Huawei 325 modem?  I've got another 11 mo to go on contract with this, but fibre is being laid outside now, and I wanted to consider what to do in the future.





gml


Create new topic
tdgeek
29743 posts

Uber Geek

Trusted
Lifetime subscriber

  #1675724 22-Nov-2016 22:25
Send private message

It has a place. Its not the be all and end all. Spark I believe, adds customers to its towers, but to a level that avoids congestion. If you get DSL at 5/1 and Wireless gets you 60/8 but at times 30/3 thats a gain. Or you can get 5/1 forever.




Talkiet
4792 posts

Uber Geek

Trusted

  #1675741 22-Nov-2016 23:11
Send private message

Fibre is better than Fixed Wireless Access if you can get it. If there's fibre being laid now then consider yourself lucky and sign up when you can.

 

No-one that knows about our plans for 4.5 and 5G will tell you anything about the timeframes or services it may be offered over to help you make a decision...

 

 

 

Cheers - N

 

 





Please note all comments are from my own brain and don't necessarily represent the position or opinions of my employer, previous employers, colleagues, friends or pets.


jonb
1771 posts

Uber Geek

Trusted

  #1675745 22-Nov-2016 23:32
Send private message

Pretty much a zero chance of any meaningful 4.5g or 5g in NZ within the next 11 months, as the 4g network is one of a world leader in real world speeds,compared to other countries.  Any future generation would require a new modem though.  The most likely immediate upgrade is channel bonding - using the 700mhz and 1800mhz 4g bands together for increased bandwidtg, I don't know if current modem would be able to take advantage of that or not, when available.  The fibre being laid outside now will take a good few months to go live, unless you have pressing data cap issues on the fixed wireless then just re-assess when the contract is up.




sbiddle
30853 posts

Uber Geek

Retired Mod
Trusted
Biddle Corp
Lifetime subscriber

  #1675759 23-Nov-2016 07:16
Send private message

Considering 5G doesn't yet exist there certainly won't be a 5G network in NZ within the next 11 months.

 

Fibre will always be better than fixed wireless.

 

 


DarkShadow
1647 posts

Uber Geek


  #1675848 23-Nov-2016 09:45
Send private message

mdav056:

 

Does anyone have any idea or information about the future of Spark fixed wireless broadband?  Will it likely to go to 4.5G or even 5G at some stage? Would such a change mean replacing the Huawei 325 modem?  I've got another 11 mo to go on contract with this, but fibre is being laid outside now, and I wanted to consider what to do in the future.

 

 

Spark will let you break contract on the fixed wireless without fee if you upgrade to fibre with Spark. If you have option for fibre, of course go for it. (barring any consent issues and difficult neighbours)


coffeebaron
6231 posts

Uber Geek

Trusted
Lifetime subscriber

  #1675856 23-Nov-2016 09:54
Send private message

jonb:

 

Pretty much a zero chance of any meaningful 4.5g or 5g in NZ within the next 11 months, as the 4g network is one of a world leader in real world speeds,compared to other countries.  Any future generation would require a new modem though.  The most likely immediate upgrade is channel bonding - using the 700mhz and 1800mhz 4g bands together for increased bandwidtg, I don't know if current modem would be able to take advantage of that or not, when available.  The fibre being laid outside now will take a good few months to go live, unless you have pressing data cap issues on the fixed wireless then just re-assess when the contract is up.

 

 

"4.5g" is already here. I'm not sure if/how many sites Spark have, but Vodafone certainly have a large number of CA sites live. However the current B315 does not support carrier aggregation, so will mean new hardware at some stage to take advantage of 4.5g for fixed wireless broadband.

 

 





Rural IT and Broadband support.

 

Broadband troubleshooting and master filter installs.
Starlink installer - one month free: https://www.starlink.com/?referral=RC-32845-88860-71 
Wi-Fi and networking
Cel-Fi supply and installer - boost your mobile phone coverage legally

 

Need help in Auckland, Waikato or BoP? Click my email button, or email me direct: [my user name] at geekzonemail dot com


Create new topic





News and reviews »

Air New Zealand Starts AI adoption with OpenAI
Posted 24-Jul-2025 16:00


eero Pro 7 Review
Posted 23-Jul-2025 12:07


BeeStation Plus Review
Posted 21-Jul-2025 14:21


eero Unveils New Wi-Fi 7 Products in New Zealand
Posted 21-Jul-2025 00:01


WiZ Introduces HDMI Sync Box and other Light Devices
Posted 20-Jul-2025 17:32


RedShield Enhances DDoS and Bot Attack Protection
Posted 20-Jul-2025 17:26


Seagate Ships 30TB Drives
Posted 17-Jul-2025 11:24


Oclean AirPump A10 Water Flosser Review
Posted 13-Jul-2025 11:05


Samsung Galaxy Z Fold7: Raising the Bar for Smartphones
Posted 10-Jul-2025 02:01


Samsung Galaxy Z Flip7 Brings New Edge-To-Edge FlexWindow
Posted 10-Jul-2025 02:01


Epson Launches New AM-C550Z WorkForce Enterprise printer
Posted 9-Jul-2025 18:22


Samsung Releases Smart Monitor M9
Posted 9-Jul-2025 17:46


Nearly Half of Older Kiwis Still Write their Passwords on Paper
Posted 9-Jul-2025 08:42


D-Link 4G+ Cat6 Wi-Fi 6 DWR-933M Mobile Hotspot Review
Posted 1-Jul-2025 11:34


Oppo A5 Series Launches With New Levels of Durability
Posted 30-Jun-2025 10:15









Geekzone Live »

Try automatic live updates from Geekzone directly in your browser, without refreshing the page, with Geekzone Live now.



Are you subscribed to our RSS feed? You can download the latest headlines and summaries from our stories directly to your computer or smartphone by using a feed reader.