You're buying a 5G CPE, see the 'mmWave' variant costs far more with scary speeds. Hold on. In Southeast Asia mmWave is barely commercial yet — paying for it buys a feature you can't use.
Sub-6 vs mmWave: what differs
- Sub-6 (commonly 3.5GHz): wide coverage, good penetration, enough speed for most business.
- mmWave (24GHz+): extreme speed but short range, easily blocked, needs dense sites.
- SEA is rolling out Sub-6; mmWave is trial-only in a few big cities.
Commercial 5G bands per country
- Vietnam: n260/n261 trial, commercial core n77/n78 (3.3-3.8GHz).
- Thailand: n78 (3.5GHz).
- Indonesia: n1/n3/n40/n78.
- Malaysia: n1/n3/n78.
- Philippines: n78.
Which version to buy for SEA
- Pick a CPE with full Sub-6: at least n1/n3/n28/n40/n77/n78.
- Skip mmWave unless your project sits on a specific metro mmWave site.
- Ask the supplier to confirm bands actually licensed in the target country.
In SEA, 5G in reality is Sub-6. Buying mmWave now is a race car for the market — fast, but there's no track.
FAQ
5G CPE power consumption and cooling?
5G modems draw more power—need metal casing/venting; industrially, check operating temp range.
Can 5G FWA replace fiber?
With good coverage it hits hundreds of Mbps—great where fiber is hard to run; but stability/latency still trail fiber.
What real-world speed does a 5G CPE deliver?
Depends on band (n1/n78/n41), signal, and carrier aggregation; real numbers fall short of specs.
Is lightweight 5G (RedCap) right for IoT?
RedCap cuts module cost and power—fits mid-speed IoT (surveillance/wearables), not high-bandwidth uses.