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In the past few years, the 5G era has yielded limited success stories. Interestingly, one of the most successful applications of 5G technology has been in the realm of home broadband services through Fixed Wireless Access (FWA).

FWA has experienced a significant surge in the US, with approximately 90% of the 3.5 million new broadband subscriptions in 2022 attributed to this technology. A recent report by GlobalData suggests that this trend is set to continue. By 2028, FWA is projected to account for 15.8% of all broadband connections in the US, up from 7.2% in 2023.

GlobalData’s report highlights some key advantages of FWA, including its easy installation process and versatility. The self-installation feature, affordability, reliability, and performance, enabled by the underlying 5G technology, make FWA an attractive alternative for households and businesses that do not have access to fiber networks. It provides more choice compared to existing solutions offered by traditional service providers.

However, the report also acknowledges the challenges FWA faces in competing with the speed and reliability of fiber broadband. With the increasing availability of fiber networks in the US, thanks to the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, fiber broadband is expected to become more prevalent. Fiber offers highly reliable and symmetrical multigigabit speeds that are increasingly demanded by consumers and businesses.

Despite these challenges, FWA is set to remain a complementary technology, especially in regions where fiber deployment is not feasible. This is evident not only in the US but also in countries like India. Bharti Airtel, for instance, has recently introduced India’s first 5G FWA offering, recognizing the significant opportunity presented by FWA for the millions of households in India without access to fiber.

The rise of FWA is making a significant impact on the US broadband market, which will be further explored in the upcoming Connected America 2024 conference. Other noteworthy news includes Dish’s request for a time extension for the purchase of T-Mobile’s low-band spectrum, the competition between Safaricom’s M-Pesa and TeleBirr in Ethiopia’s mobile money market, and the dispute between the 6G Internet and advertising regulator regarding consumer confusion.

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