A research study on behalf comms regulator Ofcom has found that wireless systems cannot compete on technology or cost grounds with optical fibre systems for the provision of broadband services to the user.

A six month research study, carried out by a group led by Plextek for Ofcom, was set up to investigate the use of wireless technology as an alternative for the provision of last mile communications to the home.

The study found that wireless cannot realistically compete with fibre for the provision of future broadband requirements over the whole of the last mile.

The study considered the transition, over the next 10-20 years, from today's ADSL broadband to the future requirement for broadband services.

“Future high definition (HD) TV services are likely to demand undiluted access to streaming content at 10-15Mbit/s, per channel, which is massively in excess of what today's ADSL systems can support. Not enough people understand that today's ADSL is a contended service - delivered rates may fall to only hundreds of kbit/s," said Steve Methley, senior consultant at Plextek.

Having ruled out ADSL, the study suggests that upcoming wireless standards show a bias towards small screen mobile content delivery and are not attempting to address the challenge of Broadband 2.0 requirements.

Plextek concluded that the demand for high bandwidth services, referred to as Broadband 2.0, must be based on fibre which must in future reach further into the access network, and potentially all the way to the customer premises. Fibre can solve the contention issues by increasing back haul capacity.
 
The study looked at three approaches to the physical technology - mesh and multi-hopping systems, UHF/TV band working and hybrid schemes with fibre or Gbit/s 'wireless fibre'.

It concluded that wireless has application as a last mile feeder element, using Gbit/s wireless as a fibre replacement and within the home such as 802.11n WiFi.