A new report from Dell’Oro Group estimates that total FWA subscriptions will surpass 191 million by 2029
In sum – what to know:
FWA growth holds – Dell’Oro expects total fixed wireless revenues to rise about 10% in 2025 as operators push further into broadband markets dominated by cable and DSL.
5G leads the market – 5G Sub-6 GHz and mmWave will dominate residential Fixed Wireless Access CPE, with total subscriptions projected to top 191 million by 2029.
A recent report from Dell’Oro Group has found that Fixed Wireless Access (FWA) continues to gain momentum, supporting both residential and enterprise connectivity as operators capitalize on faster deployment timelines and broader availability of 4G LTE and 5G Sub-6 GHz networks.
According to preliminary findings, total Fixed Wireless Access revenues — including RAN equipment, residential CPE, and enterprise routers and gateways — are on track to grow by roughly 10% in 2025, as mobile operators expand Fixed Wireless Access coverage to attract customers dissatisfied with legacy DSL and cable broadband services.
The report also estimates that total FWA subscriptions — spanning residential, SMB, and large enterprise customers — will surpass 191 million by 2029, with 5G Sub-6 GHz and mmWave technologies projected to dominate the global residential CPE market over the forecast period.
On a global scale, a June report from the Global mobile Suppliers Association (GSA) showed that more than half of existing 5G deployments around the world include Fixed Wireless Access service launches, with Europe emerging as a leader in the space. In the 27 countries that make up the European Union, GSA found that there have already been 82 commercial launches of FWA networks. Meanwhile, the Middle East and Africa aren’t far behind in activity levels.
In the United States, the domestic Fixed Wireless Access subscriber base could reach more than 20 million by 2028, based on estimates from the carriers. In fact, the latest FWA Subscriber Figures from the U.S. top three reveal that 2025 was a strong year for FWA growth. T-Mobile reported roughly 8 million FWA subscribers by late 2025; Verizon reported more than 5 million subscribers; and AT&T surpassed 1.2 million.
According to Ookla data, the three carriers together had around 14.7 million FWA customers by Q3 2025, after adding roughly 1.04 million subscribers that quarter. It’s worth noting, however, that the firm also found that all three providers experienced a “noticeable” decline in download and upload speeds during Q2 2025 and Q3 2025. At the time, Ookla’s editorial director, Sue Marek, pointed to a possible “seasonal pattern,” caused by increased foliage coverage, which can impact Fixed Wireless Access speeds. “It’s also possible that this may be an early indication that strong uptake in FWA is starting to impact performance,” Marek added.
“In the U.S., we continue to see the largest mobile operators expand their availability of FWA services in both existing and new markets, especially as FWA service revenue has boosted overall earnings,” said Jeff Heynen, vice president at Dell’Oro Group. He added that operators in India, Southeast Asia, Europe, and the Middle East are increasingly following the U.S. model, accelerating their own FWA rollouts amid growing competitive pressure from low-Earth-orbit satellite broadband providers such as Starlink, Amazon’s Project Kuiper, and OneWeb.
