The global fixed wireless broadband market will grow 30% in 2018 and will generate $18 billion in service revenue, according to a fixed wireless broadband forecast from ABI Research. As 5G fixed wireless broadband access is set to be launched in North America in 2018, it is set to expand and provide consumers with better quality service in the years to come.
Verizon expects to be one of the leaders in these launches. The company plans to deploy 5G fixed wireless broadband service in California, as we reported. Verizon expects to bring 5G fixed broadband wireless to other urban areas, with around 30 million U.S. households having access to the service by the end of the year. In addition to Verizon, other operators, including AT&T and Charter, are also carrying out 5G fixed wireless broadband tests in select markets in the United States.
“5G fixed broadband access is expected to enable robust services with a reliable capacity to meet the needs of residential broadband users. 5G technology can support a theoretical speed up to 20 Gbps with latency of 1 ms, enabling operators to provide superior broadband access without installing fiber-optic cables to every single household,” said ABI research analyst Khin Sandi Lynn, in a prepared statement. Early 5G fixed wireless broadband access is likely to focus on dense urban areas and roll out in rural areas when 5G is widely launched commercially. ABI Research forecasts the worldwide fixed wireless broadband market to grow at a CAGR of 26% to generate $45.2 billion in 2022.
In February, we reported on a Mobile Experts forecast that called for the overall fixed wireless access point and customer premises equipment market to grow at an 8% CAGR through 2023, with the “dedicated” LTE fixed segment expected to grow much more quickly as large mobile operator launch fixed services in urban locations. ABI also sees LTE as the technology used most widely around the world to provide fixed wireless broadband service.
Image courtesy of flickr user Stefano Brivio.
