Here’s where fixed wireless is emerging around the world

• Fixed wireless access is often considered a ‘rural niche’ in the U.S., but that’s not the case abroad
• India, the Middle East and Southeast Asia are all hotspots for FWA activity
• Fixed broadband tends to be tougher to deploy than mobile infra in these parts of the world

It’s safe to say North America reigns supreme in the fixed wireless access (FWA) market, as the Big Three (T-Mobile, Verizon and AT&T) are all aiming to double down on penetration. But as it turns out, Asia and the Middle East are also prime hotspots for FWA activity, and they’ve been in on the action for some time. 

According to a fresh report from Dell’Oro, the Southeast Asia (SEA) and Middle East and Africa (MEA) regions are poised to see long-term FWA subscriber growth, given there’s “a need to connect subscribers economically” and operators continue to upgrade existing 3G and LTE networks.

Jeff Moore, principal of Wave7 Research, said while FWA is more of a “rural niche” in the U.S., that’s not necessarily the case internationally. The addressable market for FWA abroad, particularly outside of the more developed countries, “is going to be significantly larger,” he told Fierce.

“If I were an equipment vendor, Tarana or some company like that, I would be looking very strongly” at Africa, parts of Latin America and Asia. Those regions are likely to have “a lot of good markets” that need “strong wireless internet signals,” Moore said.

Saudi Arabia, India and the FWA state of play

Verizon got the FWA ball rolling in the U.S. when it introduced its 5G Home Internet in 2018. But Zain in Saudi Arabia was another early adopter, launching its fixed wireless network one year later.

An Opensignal study from June 2024 noted Zain used FWA “as a strategic tool to disrupt the fixed broadband market, given its lack of owned fiber infrastructure and its reliance on the open access initiative to offer fixed broadband services.”

Zain as of February 2023 had 1.1 million FWA subscribers with roughly 8 million mobile customers. However, this growth has likely taken a toll on the operator’s overall network performance, said Opensignal, “resulting in decreased performance for both mobile and FWA services in areas with higher FWA subscriber density.”

Aside from Zain, operators Etisalat and du are using FWA to compete with Saudi Telecom, “which owns all of the fixed infrastructure” in the country, said Dell’Oro Group VP Jeff Heynen.

In addition to making moves with FWA, Saudi Arabia is in the process of transitioning from an oil-based to a technology-based economy. So, we’re also keeping tabs on that.

India is “quickly becoming” one of the largest FWA markets in the world, Heynen told Fierce. Both Bharti Airtel and Reliance Jio are deploying fiber but have been growing their FWA bases at a faster pace.

Jio is a relatively newer player in the FWA game, having launched its AirFiber service in 2023. The operator has aimed to expand broadband in remote areas where laying optical fiber is time-consuming, Opensignal noted.

“Fixed broadband penetration rates in India have always lagged behind other countries,” said Heynen. “And FWA is viewed as a way to finally bridge that divide in the most cost-effective manner possible.”

It’s worth noting India does have its fair share of government-led broadband initiatives to expand fixed coverage, Wi-Fi hotspots and more.

As for SEA, countries like the Philippines, Indonesia and Malaysia are all actively deploying FWA as part of national broadband programs and as a complement to fiber rollouts, Heynen added.

The geographic layout of SEA can make fixed broadband deployment tricky. The Philippines, which consists of over 7,000 islands, was actually the first country in the region to deploy fixed wireless. Around 4.3 million users in the Philippines have accessed broadband via FWA, per Ookla, though usage has declined in the past couple of years as fiber broadband became more available nationwide.