Mimosa's Wireless Leap: New Tech Aims to Close the Digital Divide

SANTA CLARA, Calif. – March 02, 2026 – Mimosa Networks today announced a broad expansion of its fixed wireless broadband platform, unveiling a suite of hardware and software advancements designed to accelerate high-speed internet deployment worldwide. Timed with its participation in major industry events like Mobile World Congress, the Radisys subsidiary confirmed the general availability of its highly anticipated C6 Non-Line-of-Sight (NLOS) radio, rolled out next-generation firmware, and offered a first look at its strategic entry into the licensed spectrum market.

These moves signal a deliberate and aggressive strategy to solidify the company's position as a key enabler for service providers, from small rural ISPs to large global operators, struggling to deliver reliable broadband in a variety of challenging environments.

A Strategic Push in a Booming FWA Market

Mimosa's announcements land in the midst of explosive growth for the Fixed Wireless Access (FWA) market. Industry analysts project FWA revenues will continue to grow by 10% annually through 2029, with total global subscriptions forecast to exceed 191 million by that time. The 5G FWA segment, in particular, is poised for a meteoric rise, with market size projections soaring from approximately $64 billion in 2025 to over $1.6 trillion by 2035.

Within this competitive landscape, which includes giants like Nokia and Ericsson and specialized players such as Cambium Networks and Ubiquiti, Mimosa has carved out a distinct identity. Acquired by Radisys in 2023 and now operating under the umbrella of Reliance Jio Platforms, the company has leveraged its position to power what its parent company describes as the world's largest fixed wireless network in India. This backing provides both immense scale for real-world validation and strategic alignment with one of the globe's most ambitious telecom operators.

Mimosa's core strategy has been to champion the use of unlicensed spectrum, offering solutions that provide fiber-like speeds with the flexibility and cost-effectiveness that traditional fiber trenching cannot match. This approach has proven critical for service providers aiming for rapid deployment schedules and a lower cost-per-connection, especially in areas where physical infrastructure is sparse.

Tackling Obstacles with Non-Line-of-Sight Innovation

For decades, the biggest literal barrier for fixed wireless has been the requirement for a clear line of sight between the tower and the subscriber. Trees, buildings, and hills have rendered millions of potential customers unreachable. With the general availability of the Mimosa C6 client radio, the company is directly tackling this fundamental challenge.

The C6 is an NLOS radio capable of delivering up to 2.5 Gbps of throughput even in obstructed environments. It achieves this by employing advanced technologies like transmit and receive beamforming and multi-user MIMO, all operating in the newly expanded 6 GHz spectrum band. Unlike millimeter-wave solutions, which offer high capacity but are notoriously susceptible to physical and atmospheric interference, the C6's use of sub-6 GHz frequencies allows its signal to better penetrate foliage and bend around partial obstructions, dramatically increasing the serviceable area for any given tower.

Complementing the hardware is a major software upgrade. The company has begun rolling out its next-generation Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA) firmware. For network operators, this is a crucial development aimed at bringing predictability to the often-chaotic environment of shared wireless spectrum. The new firmware enhances scheduling efficiency, ensuring that as more subscribers come online and demand more bandwidth, the network can manage traffic deterministically. This translates to a more consistent user experience, reduced latency during peak hours, and maximized spectral efficiency—allowing operators to serve more customers with the same amount of finite radio spectrum.

Expanding the Playbook with a Licensed Spectrum Strategy

Perhaps the most forward-looking part of today's announcement was the preview of the B26, an upcoming backhaul platform designed for licensed spectrum. This marks a significant strategic evolution for a company that built its brand in the unlicensed space. By developing solutions for licensed bands, Mimosa is opening the door to a new class of customers and applications.

Licensed spectrum offers dedicated, interference-free channels, providing a level of reliability and guaranteed Quality of Service (QoS) that is essential for mission-critical backhaul—the high-capacity links that connect local access points back to the core network. While unlicensed spectrum offers flexibility, licensed spectrum provides stability.

This move positions Mimosa to better serve large Mobile Network Operators (MNOs) and other major carriers that hold valuable licensed spectrum assets. It allows them to offer a more complete, end-to-end solution: unlicensed spectrum for cost-effective last-mile customer access and licensed spectrum for robust, high-capacity backhaul. This hybrid approach is becoming a dominant strategy for operators looking to build flexible, scalable, and resilient networks.

Bridging the Digital Divide from Rural America to India

The collective impact of these innovations extends far beyond technical specifications. They represent powerful new tools in the global effort to close the digital divide. In rural and underserved regions, the economic and logistical challenges of deploying fiber are immense. FWA, particularly with the NLOS capabilities of the C6, presents a viable and immediate alternative.

In the United States, for example, these solutions are well-timed for government-backed initiatives like the Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) program, which aims to connect every unserved and underserved location. As these programs prioritize technology neutrality and cost-per-location efficiency, FWA is increasingly seen as a critical component for reaching remote homes and businesses quickly.

"What you're seeing across our portfolio is deliberate," said Jim Nevelle, SVP and General Manager for Mimosa Networks, in a statement. "We're building on platforms operators already trust at scale — proven across networks serving millions of subscribers — and continuing to invest in solutions that help providers expand coverage, improve performance, and grow efficiently."

This deliberate strategy, combining accessible NLOS technology for the last mile with a sophisticated roadmap that now includes licensed backhaul, provides a comprehensive toolkit for network builders. By continuing to drive down the cost and complexity of deployment, Mimosa is empowering operators to extend modern broadband services to the corners of the world that need them most.