GSA updated FWA Market June 2024

　　This report on the global status of the fixed wireless access (FWA) market brings updates about the availability of FWA broadband services based on LTE and 5G; tariff structures; service portability; service speeds and device support for FWA.

　　As technology has improved, operators have been turning to mobile networks to deliver residential and business broadband services. They are using LTE, LTE-Advanced and 5G networks to deliver services in locations that are poorly served, or not served at all, by fixed-line broadband technologies based on copper, coax or fibre. Some are also offering mobile-based broadband services as an alternative to fixed-line broadband technologies.

　　Wireless residential and business broadband services are no longer largely limited to older technologies, mobile data subscriptions associated with mobile phones, dongles or even MiFi or hot-spot devices. They now include the use of mobile technology to provide the main broadband connection for a home or business. This takes the form of a fixed wireless access (FWA) service delivered to a mainspowered customer-premises equipment (CPE) device, which in turn provides local connectivity to other devices, typically over Wi-Fi. In a relatively short time, FWA broadband has become a mainstream service offer.

　　The research was carried out in May 2024. Highlights from this update:

　　In FWA broadband services, GSA has identified announced service offers from 467 operators in 188 countries and territories, and launched services from 407 operators in 176 countries and territories worldwide.

　　FWA broadband based on LTE is already available worldwide. GSA has identified 444 operators in 172 countries and territories selling such services based on LTE, a rise of eight operators from November 2023. In addition, of the 312 operators that had announced 5G launches or soft launches worldwide until the end of May 2024, GSA has catalogued 164 that are marketing residential or business 5G FWA broadband services, up more than 300% from 41 in November 2021.

　　Europe and the middle East and Africa have the highest number of operators delivering FWA services using LTE or 5G. There are more operators marketing FWA services in Europe than any other region, particularly in the 27 countries that make up the EU, which has 71 commercially launched 5G FWA networks, closely followed by the middle East and Africa.

　　More than 50% of tariffs for LTE FWA are based on data volume, with speed-based structures favoured by 19% of operators. The difference is less marked with 5G FWA.

　　The average of the marketed maximum peak download speeds for LTE FWA was 178.6 Mbps, down from 180.5 Mbps in November 2023, based on data for 330 operators in May 2024. For 5G-based offerings, the average maximum peak download speed was 974 Mbps, down from 1,059 Mbps in November 2023 but still up from 875 Mbps in November 2022.

　　The full data set from the global service provider research is available to GSA Associates and Members in Excel format.

　　This study will be updated in December 2024. If you would like to share information about new FWA devices or service launches, please let us know at research@gsacom.com.

　　SOURCE GSA