One of the most promising use cases of 5G is Fixed Wireless Access (FWA). With 5G FWA, the digital divide between the rural and the urban areas can be removed. Counterpoint Research said that 5G FWA subscribers are expected to grow at 54% annual compounded rate between 2022-2030. With 5G FWA, enhanced broadband services can be delivered to consumers at a feasible cost. This wasn’t possible with previous generation networks such as 4G, 3G and 2G.
Counterpoint Research believes that developing economies will still suffer from a digital divide with many not being able to get access to internet connectivity. But this won’t happen if there’s 5G FWA as it is a killer use case to bridge the digital divide and provide connectivity where fiber or DSL broadband services can’t reach.
Indian Telcos also Excited About 5G FWA
Ericsson, which has partnered with the Indian telcos for conducting 5G trials said that the early use cases of 5G that the telcos are particularly excited about are 5G FWA, healthcare, and eMBB (enhanced mobile broadband).
5G FWA will enable the telecom operators to deliver high-speed mobile broadband services in semi-urban and rural areas with ease. Laying fiber at every corner of the country can be a daunting task for telecom operators as it would take both time and a lot of money. But with the 5F FWA, a lot of users can be provided connectivity with one fixed point getting 5G network.
5G FWA can support both home as well as business applications because of the sheer bandwidth and low-latency connectivity it brings to the table. It has already been recognised as one of the better alternatives to fixed-broadband connections.
The telecom operators are all set to participate in the 5G spectrum auction which is less than a month away. It will be interesting to see how soon Indians get to see 5G FWA.
