The GSA found that shipments of 4G/5G FWA CPE are expected to grow 23%, hitting 37.5 million units in 2024
The results of the GSA’s Fixed Wireless Access (FWA) CPE market survey, which gathered responses from 30 CPE vendors, indicated that shipments of 4G/5G FWA CPE are expected to grow 23%, hitting 37.5 million units in 2024.
Further, 42% of shipments of those shipments will be for 5G-enabled FWA CPE, up from 34% in 2023. In contrast, between 2022 and 2023, 4G FWA CPE shipments fell 5% and fewer than half of respondents said they introduce a new 4G CPE product this year. This dynamic, according to John Yazlle, vice-chairman of the GSA 4G/5G FWA Forum, “proves beyond doubt that 5G FWA has hit the mainstream.”
He continued: “Not only has the growth in vendor shipments swung firmly behind 5G-enabled CPE devices, but operators are turning to FWA as the key driver for monetising their 5G network investments.”
The report also found that indoor CPE still leads the way for FWA, making up 60% of shipments, followed by battery-operated hot spots (25%) and outdoor CPE (15%). The use of millimeter wave (mmWave) for FWA is also becoming more prominent, as the GSA found that number of 5G devices with mmWave capability rose 63% in 2023 and is forecast to grow 22% by 2024. However, the GSA did note that mmWave-capable FWA products will continue to account for less than 10% of all 5G shipments.
Other key take aways include the prediction that 8.9 million units supporting 5G standalone will be shipped this year, up from 6 million last year, as well as 63% of respondents stating that they will be introducing a 5G RedCap CPE in 2024.
“The purpose of the GSA 4G/5G FWA Forum is to bring together the FWA ecosystem and educate the industry about the FWA market as currently there is a lack of market definition and consensus on the volume of FWA device shipments and installed base,” explained Julien Grivolas, chairman of the GSA 4G/5G FWA Forum. “This unique survey plays an important role in providing facts and insights into the true state of the fixed wireless access market and how it is evolving and growing globally.”
