Numbers from a new Horowitz Research report suggest that service providers who deployed 5G fixed wireless access (FWA) made a good choice.
The firm found that 56% of non-FWA subscribers are likely to consider FWA when it becomes available in their area. Penetration overall is at 12%, which Horowitz says is a three-fold increase since it inaugurated coverage in 2023.
Horowitz found that 18% of those in the 18 to 34 age group use FWA. That compares to 11% among those in the 35 to 49 group and 9% in the 50-plus group.
Perhaps the best news from the report for FWA providers is that penetration is growing at a similar pace among all income groups. Initially, it was thought that the lower prices would make it more popular among lower income groups.
Satisfaction also seems to be high. The report found that 76% of 5G FWA customers give the service high marks for speed satisfaction and 83% for reliability. These results were competitive with traditional home internet subscribers’ ratings of 80% and 76% for speed and reliability, respectively.
“What we are seeing in the marketplace is that indeed, consumers are bullish about 5G, and those who have it are very satisfied with the service,” Adriana Waterston, the Executive Vice President and Insights & Strategy Lead for Horowitz Research, said in a press release.
“The fact that it is wireless within the home allows consumers to situate the gateway where they get the strongest signal in the home, which helps with reliability, and even though ‘on paper’ the speeds might not be as fast as some of the other options out there, for most households — even heavy streaming homes — the service does the job.”
Satisfied customers likely are the most important signifiers of the success of a nascent technology. If so, it’s good news for FWA. Last October, a J.D. Power report found that FWA had an overall satisfaction rating of 630 (on a 1,000-point scale). This compared favorably with a 538 rating among wired internet subscribers.
Parks Associates also found FWA customers to be satisfied. In January 2024, the firm reported that 66% of subscribers who get 5G or LTE FWA from mobile network operators (MNOs) consider their prices to be fair or good. This compares to 51% of fiber subscribers and 35% of cable subscribers who feel the same.
