The global Broadband Access equipment market reached $4.7 billion in Q2 2025, according to the latest Dell’Oro Group report, marking a 7 percent increase quarter-over-quarter (Q/Q) and a 1 percent rise year-over-year (Y/Y). Fiber and fixed wireless providers continued to expand aggressively, capturing subscribers at the expense of traditional cable operators.
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Jeff Heynen of Dell’Oro Group explained that fiber and Fixed Wireless Access providers are rapidly gaining broadband subscribers from cable operators, leading to rising investments in their technologies while spending on DOCSIS infrastructure and CPE has dropped to its lowest level since 1998.
Key Highlights from Dell’Oro Group’s 2Q 2025 Report
5G Fixed Wireless CPE spending hit another record high, fueled by subscriber growth in the US, India, and other emerging markets.
DOCSIS infrastructure spending dropped 13 percent Y/Y, reflecting softness in demand for Remote PHY Devices (RPDs) and a slowdown in virtual CMTS (vCMTS) license purchases.
Market Outlook
The latest figures reinforce the accelerating trend of fiber deployments and Fixed Wireless Access (FWA) adoption, positioning these technologies as the primary growth engines in broadband connectivity. In contrast, cable operators are experiencing sustained declines in infrastructure investments, signaling a long-term market shift away from DOCSIS-based systems.
As operators worldwide push to capture new broadband subscribers, the competition between fiber, fixed wireless, and cable will continue to define the global broadband equipment market landscape.
Who’s investing in broadband?
AT&T is scaling its fiber network across the U.S., now reaching over 30 million fiber locations as of mid-2025. In May, AT&T agreed to acquire Lumen Technologies’ consumer fiber business for $5.75 billion, adding one million customers across cities like Denver, Las Vegas, Phoenix, Seattle, and more — all expected to close in the first half of 2026.
AT&T is also aiming for 50 million fiber passings by 2029, further accelerating growth through a massive $23 billion acquisition of EchoStar spectrum licenses, slated to boost its broadband and 5G capabilities AP News reports.
Verizon and T-Mobile are moving fast in the fixed wireless domain: in Q2 2025, Verizon added 275,000 FWA subscribers, totaling 5.1 million, while T-Mobile added 454,000, raising its FWA base to 7.3 million — reflecting rapid adoption of 5G-powered home wireless services, Credence Research said in its market report.
In Spain, MasOrange–Vodafone Spain’s fiber joint venture, which will serve 12 million premises, attracted €1.4 billion investment after Singapore’s sovereign wealth fund, GIC, acquired a 25% stake, Financial Times reports.
In South Africa, Vumatel has secured a R25 billion loan for nationwide fiber expansion and received regulatory approval in March 2025 to acquire Herotel, enabling it to penetrate smaller cities and rural areas.
In the U.S. regional markets, Ezee Fiber, based in Houston, is acquiring Tachus Fiber Internet, creating a combined network with around 600,000 fiber passings and pledging $100 million in investments over the next year to strengthen service in the Houston area.
In Canada, Xplore (formerly Xplornet) is investing $500 million by 2025 to deploy fiber-to-the-premise and fiber-powered 5G fixed wireless across multiple provinces, serving rural and remote communities nationwide.
In Indonesia, MyRepublic expanded its fiber-optic network significantly during 2024-early 2025, reaching many new regions across Java, Sumatra, Kalimantan, and Sulawesi. By early 2025, it surpassed 1 million active subscribers, marking a major milestone in its national broadband deployment.
In India, Bharti Airtel forged a managed services deal with Ericsson to oversee its network operations —including Fixed Wireless Access (FWA), 4G/5G, and private networks — enhancing operational efficiency and performance across its broadband and wireless platforms, Economic Times reports.
Baburajan Kizhakedath
