French telco Bouygues Telecom has introduced the 4G box, which provides high-speed Wi-Fi connectivity to homes by connecting to an LTE network.
The hub uses the 4G network as backhaul, providing a Wi-Fi network to which up to 32 devices in different parts of the home can connect to simultaneously.
Households can find out if they are eligible to connect on Bouygues’s website or in stores selling the 4G boxes.
The 4G box is priced at €29.99 per month with the first month free. There is also a €3 monthly rental cost, a €19 access charge and a €19 cancellation fee.
Bouygues partnered with Chinese networking vendor Huawei on the hub. The E5180 router used has two ports for external antennas and a built-in firewall.
The product, available from 23 January, aims to solve the problem of poor fixed coverage by tapping into Bouygues’s 4G mobile network, which now covers 85 percent of the population.
Olivier Roussat, Bouygues Telecom Chairman and CEO, said that the technology would allow families living in less densely populated areas to “benefit fully from the latest digital technology.”
He said: “There is now no reason why millions of French people should be deprived of very-high-speed internet any longer.
“By drawing on the quality of our 4G mobile network, the 4G box will offer a wonderful very-high-speed fixed internet solution. Internet access is now an essential part of daily life, regardless of the technology used.”
French telecoms regulator Arcep has put rural coverage at the heart of its strategy. Earlier this month, Arcep said it was consulting on how the 2.6GHz and 3.5GHz bands could meet cellular demand for LTE, 5G and Internet of Things networks.