Analysts at TrendForce have revealed that Bharti Airtel, Reliance Jio, Verizon, and T-Mobile are enhancing their investment in the fixed wireless access (FWA) market in coming years.
FWA operators
The size of the FWA market is set to expand, with projections indicating a 33 percent growth, reaching $72 billion in 2025, according to TrendForce. This surge is driven by key telecom operators, including T-Mobile and Verizon in the U.S., and Reliance Jio and Bharti Airtel in India.
These companies are prioritizing FWA deployment due to its lower costs compared to traditional fiber or 5G New Radio base stations.
In the U.S., telecom operators have gradually shifted their focus from deploying both fiber and FWA to emphasizing 5G FWA, leveraging sub-6 GHz licensed spectrum to expand services beyond conventional markets.
T-Mobile, holding a significant share of this spectrum, is investing in high-end FWA solutions, such as advanced in-house gateways that offer faster and more secure home internet.
Verizon has also refined its strategy, targeting rural and sparsely populated regions to maximize network reach.
In India, Reliance Jio and Bharti Airtel are aggressively expanding 5G FWA base stations in rural areas, viewing them as a cost-effective alternative to standalone (SA) and non-standalone (NSA) 5G base stations.
The strategic focus of Reliance Jio and Bharti Airtel on FWA in low-density regions while maintaining traditional 5G infrastructure in urban areas reflects the broader industry trend of prioritizing affordability and accessibility.
FWA vendors
TrendForce highlights that the rising adoption of 5G FWA services is expected to drive renewed growth in 5G New Radio deployment, an area that had been experiencing stagnation.
Taiwanese companies are playing an essential role in the FWA supply chain, particularly in chipsets, RF components, antennas, and customer-premises equipment (CPE).
Leading network equipment vendors, including WNC, Sercomm, Arcadyan, Zyxel, and Alpha Networks, are ramping up production to meet increasing demand.
Sercomm, a key supplier for U.S. telecom operators, is expected to witness growth in CPE shipments in early 2025 as carriers complete their inventory reduction.
Zyxel, which initially focused on European and Asian markets, is shifting its attention to India due to a slowdown in European FWA expansion.
Arcadyan, which supplies U.S. operators directly, is also poised to benefit from inventory stabilization, leading to increased CPE shipments in the coming year.
Baburajan Kizhakedath
