Cast your memory back to 2019, when two short syllables were on the tip of everyone’s tongue: 5G. Back then, in what feels like a different era, all the high-tech world seemed abuzz over the new cellular standard that was about to change everything. Fixed wireless access (FWA) services would bring high-speed broadband to millions of homes without having to worry about aging residential infrastructure. High-speed mmWave would dwarf the best that LTE could offer. And, with new ultra-low-latency services, mass-scale IoT coverage, network slicing, and more, an amazing future for consumers and industry seemed just around the corner.
Then COVID-19 hit, and everything just … stopped. Everyone scrambled to adapt to the realities of remote work, supply chain disruptions, and the various other challenges of the last 24 months. And, many organizations, including network operators, hit the pause button on long-planned technology projects in favor of more immediate concerns.