PRESS RELEASE: During MWC Shanghai 2024, operators, industry analysts, and ecosystem partners gathered at the Asia Pacific FWA Development Roundtable to share the latest industry insights and practices and discuss the strategic development of FWA.
The Roundtable was opened by David Li, President of Huawei’s 5G<E TDD Product Line. “There is already a consensus among operators about the strategic importance of FWA to 5G businesses. As 5G evolves into 5G-A, bringing stronger capabilities, FWA provides operators a viable option for monetizing these capabilities,” said Li in his opening remarks, adding that he is confident that 5G-A FWA will take the industry to new heights.
More than 30 representatives shared network construction and monetization practices and progress they have made to date.
Pau Castells, Head of Economic Analysis, GSMA Intelligence, said during the meeting, “5G has injected new vitality into FWA, with powerful network capabilities opening new horizons for wireless home broadband. 5G FWA can offer exceptional cost-effectiveness and the potential for enhanced network experiences. Globally, 153 operators have already implemented 5G FWA, and it is expected that nearly 50 million new FWA connections will be added by 2030.”
Ronald Limoa, VP of Technology Strategy & Consumer Product Innovation, Telkomsel Indonesia, highlighted that “the expansion of broadband coverage necessitates the combination of fiber and wireless connectivity. FWA strikes optimum balance between technology, frequency and products innovation for excellent customer experiences at affordable price. Fiber-like FWA services help operators win household customers and achieve aspiration.”
During the discussion, representatives from world-leading operators reached a clear understanding on several aspects. The evolution from 5G to 5G-A will enable FWA to provide better experience and open up differentiated avenues of experience monetization. Now in its prime, FWA is seen as an essential part of 5G packages and will be a major 5G-A service for operators seeking to boost their share and competitiveness in the home broadband market. Furthermore, Maximizing the opportunities brought by 5G-A will require broad cooperation across the industry to build stronger, wider, and smarter FWA networks.
The Roundtable also featured a showcase of the FWA ecosystem, including more than 20 sample 5G CPE models provided by partners. In addition to high-performance 5G CPE that supports mmWave and 3CC, the showcase included cost-effective RedCap CPE, showing the potential to ensure inclusive home broadband connectivity.
As mobile networks transition to 5G-A, 5G FWA will provide users with more convenient, premium home broadband services and help operators quickly monetize their networks. All partners should work together for the flourishing of 5G FWA home broadband.