Fixed Wireless Access - Market Share Analysis, Industry Trends & Statistics, Growth Forecasts 2024 - 2029

The Fixed Wireless Access Market size was estimated at USD 21.66 billion in the current year. The market is expected to reach USD 151 billion in five years, registering a CAGR of 38.17% during the forecast period.

The demand for internet connectivity among households has increased with the growth in connected devices. Additionally, wearable technology has improved in various emerging economies, contributing to the need for better wireless broadband connectivity.

Key Highlights

• Additionally, the steady evolution of wireless broadband technology over the past decade keeps pace with advances in standards set by the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE). These standards are modernized to improve the network throughput regarding maximum speed and transmission capability. These upgrades have given the companies in the market the means to strive for innovation and successfully satisfy the customers' demand for higher bandwidth and faster internet, driving the market's growth significantly.
• Also, the increasing demand for faster internet connectivity among consumers, owing to the data size becoming more prominent and the rise in the number of devices connected to the device, is spurring the demand for fixed wireless access with effective connectivity. Further, the increase in the number of connected devices and increasing focus and implementation of smart homes using smart devices are expected to fuel the market demand during the forecast period. Moreover, the growing adoption of smart home architecture worldwide, including remote access, voice control, and seamless connectivity, further drives the demand in the market studied.
• Furthermore, with the 5G network launch, the emerging economies in the Asia-Pacific region are expected to propel the market for fixed wireless access during the study period. According to the Ericsson Mobility Report, 5G subscriptions are expected to reach 1 billion by the end of the year. More smart 5G devices with additional capabilities are expected this year. In five years, the 5G subscriptions are anticipated to surpass 5 billion, and Fixed Wireless Access (FWA) connections will reach around 300 million, where 5G will account for about 80 % of FWA connections.
• However, aspects like the rising dependence on Spectrum Allocation in Some Countries and Cost and Environmental Challenges Associated with Millimeter-wave Technology might be some factors that can restrain the market's growth throughout the forecasted period.
• Amid the COVID-19 crisis, fixed wireless access (FWA) solutions would likely witness increased demand and fill in fiber broadband networks. This results from a sudden and widespread explosion in telecommuting by employees worldwide who can work from home. According to Preseem, a quality monitoring and optimization platform for fixed wireless networks, the increased demand is especially significant during business hours.

Fixed Wireless Access Market Trends

Residential Segment Expected to Depict the Maximum Application

• The household application segment is expected to depict the maximum adoption due to growing broadband connectivity in households or for individuals. Fix6ed Wireless Access, or FWA, provides home internet access using wireless mobile network technology rather than fixed lines. Due to the increasing internet and mobile penetration amongst users, the need for a continuous source of data and the internet has been increasing over the years.
• 5G fixed wireless access is an ideal alternative for residential customers as users get speeds at a competitive price with no installation issues. Also, building fixed broadband infrastructure in many developing countries is not economically viable.
• According to Cisco's latest Visual Networking Index Report, smart homes are expected to be one of the primary drivers for the growth of IoT connectivity during the next few years. The company expects around 50% of the 28.5 billion device connections predicted by this year to be IoT/machine-to-machine (M2M).
• Moreover, major companies are introducing their services to expand their reach to customers, especially for households or individual users. For instance, in June last year, Nokia and Ooredoo introduced super-fast and reliable 4G and 5G fixed wireless (FWA) access throughout Oman. The scope of work would initially witness 15,000 businesses and homes connected. In addition, 3,000 homes in city centers would get Nokia FastMile 5G FWA.
• As per property management, the total number of smart home IoT (Internet of Things) devices utilized for control and connectivity purposes was anticipated to rise in the upcoming year. Nearly 284 million devices are predicted to be in use by the end of the following year. Hence, with the rise in the overall smart home IoT (Internet of Things) devices, the market is expected to witness various lucrative growth opportunities throughout the forecast period.

North America to Dominate the Market

• North America is expected to hold the most significant global fixed wireless access market share during the forecast period. In the United States, the demand for high-speed internet connections is increasing rapidly, owing to which companies are rigorously investing in fixed wireless connections. Deploying fixed wireless connections not only offers high-speed internet but also helps users in unserved areas to avail of the service.
• Small cells used in fixed wireless solutions are deployed close to end-users; therefore, they have natural advantages in the Internet of Things. Extensive small cell deployments connect devices to communication networks, helping operators build a successful Internet of Things.
• North America witnessed a significant increase in interest and investment in fixed wireless broadband technology in the last two years. Though approximately 30% of US households in remote and rural communities still lack access to a high-speed broadband connection, fixed wireless broadband is emerging as a key technology to bridge this gap. About 2,000 wireless internet service providers currently provide fixed wireless broadband services to more than 4 million residences in small towns and rural communities in all 50 US states.
• Integrating Wi-Fi with small cells can offer cost-effective capacity and additional coverage for seamless data services. Benefits from such integration may eventually lead to increases in revenue and savings in the total cost of ownership (TCO).
• Moreover, various market players are well involved in launching multiple 5G offerings as a part of their crucial growth strategy. For instance, in January 2023, T-Mobile US announced its collaboration with Cisco to launch a scalable and distributed nationwide cloud native converged core gateway. The new converged core gateway also simplifies operations for T-Mobile, allowing the Un-carrier to shift resources with better agility and roll out services like 5G home internet.

Fixed Wireless Access Industry Overview

The fixed wireless access market is moderately fragmented due to the presence of significant solution providers across the globe who are incessantly working towards gaining more market traction. The companies are entering into strategic partnerships and alliances, raising funds to introduce new solutions, and improvising on the existing ones to increase market visibility. Some of the recent developments in the market are

In February 2023, Nokia and China United Network Communication Group Co. (CUC) announced today that they are expanding their collaboration by trialing a 5G fixed wireless access (FWA) solution based on Nokia's integrated Multi-Access Gateway in an existing network. This is the first test of its kind in the Chinese market. CUC will be able to grow network bandwidth and provide additional internet services to its consumers in the future by smoothly combining fixed and mobile networks.

In October 2022, Nokia declared that NBN had selected it to supply 5G fixed wireless access (FWA) mmWave Customer Premises Equipment (CPE) for NBN's fixed wireless network upgrade. The program would help deliver faster speeds to thousands of homes and businesses across regional, semi-rural, and remote Australia. In a world-first, the customer premise equipment (CPE) provided by Nokia supports high frequency 'mmWave' bands, capable of Gigabit speeds for premises within a 7 km radius of a radio base station.

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