Latin America. The demand for high-speed broadband connectivity continues to grow exponentially, driven by the increasing reliance on digital technologies and the proliferation of data-intensive applications.
In this context, Fixed Access Wireless (FWA) has emerged as a promising solution to address the connectivity needs of urban and rural areas, offering attractive opportunities for 5G-based residential and commercial services.
As the 5G era progresses, FWA is rapidly emerging as a serious competitor to traditional fixed broadband services, both for residential and commercial or business services in urban, suburban, and rural areas.
The introduction of FWA, and especially 5G FWA, brought major changes to the broadband market. First, it expanded the competitive landscape, expanding a sector that was dominated by wired infrastructure, and incorporating innovation and improvements in service delivery. On the other hand, it disrupted the economics of connectivity provision, especially in areas where traditional wired deployments were highly challenging or cost-prohibitive.
There are several elements that drive FWA development. These include its speed of deployment and scalability, which allow for earlier revenue generation and expansion of infrastructure in line with demand; the availability of spectrum in the mid-bands (between 2 GHz and 6 GHz) in some markets; and the reduction of the prices of User Equipment (CPE, Customer Premise Equipment).
Thus, FWA is experiencing significant global growth, driven especially by emerging markets, such as India, Mexico, South Africa, and the Philippines, which were responsible for 40 percent of 5G FWA deployments globally in 2022. By 2028, subscribers of FWA services are expected to exceed 300 million worldwide, with 80 percent of them served with 5G technology, according to projections compiled in the document "5G Use Cases" published by 5G Americas last November.
To view the 5g Americas infographic, click here.
