The 5G network roll-out for Mobile Network Operators (MNOs) continues to progress, and Fixed Wireless Access (FWA) has been a masterstroke for network monetization. This has made growing their total FWA connections for consumer and enterprise markets a key strategy for Mobile Network Operators (MNOs). According to global technology intelligence firm ABI Research, 5G FWA Customer Premises Equipment (CPE) shipments will increase from 10.7 million in 2023 to 36.8 million in 2029 at a Compound Annual Growth Rate of 22.9%.

“The U.S. market has been a great success story for 5G FWA. All three major MNOs are on track to hit their targets for total FWA connections, achieved by serving customers with a multi-vendor portfolio of CPEs for their varying requirements,” explains Larbi Belkhit, Industry Analyst at ABI Research. “Traction for this technology is picking up globally, with India’s Reliance Jio aiming to serve 100 million residential and enterprise connections through 5G FWA. In fact, most major service providers worldwide are triumphantly growing their FWA connections.”

Innovations within the 5G CPEs are being unveiled, not just proof of concept but also commercial solutions. At Mobile World Congress (MWC) 2024 in Barcelona, stc Kuwait, in partnership with Huawei, unveiled the commercial deployment of 5G RedCap FWA, module vendors MeiG and Fibocom separately showcased their latest RedCap modules, and Tozed Kangwei presented a RedCap CPE. At the same show, ZTE unveiled the industry’s first AI-enabled 5G CPE for better bandwidth utilization and Nokia unveiled its latest innovations with 5G mmWave indoor and outdoor CPEs.

Furthermore, enterprise FWA announcements have also gained traction in 2024, especially in the U.S. market as MNOs diversify their offerings, with Askey and Cisco added to AT&T’s Business Service, and Cradlepoint added to T-Mobile’s Connected Workplace service.

“The enterprise market, especially Small to Medium-Sized Businesses (SMBs), is a fast-growing opportunity for FWA, especially in the US. The faster deployment and scalability it offers makes it particularly attractive for SMBs, but they have more nuanced requirements than simply just performance and price, so CPE vendors diversifying offerings to serve this market is key to success,” Belkhit concludes.