Forecasts of 5G fixed wireless adoption are a bit trickier than forecasts of a few decades ago for several reasons. The biggest difference is architectural. Traditional fixed wireless systems used point-to-point, line-of-sight radio pairs.
That was a labor-intensive process, meaning each subscriber had to be connected and disconnected manually, with a required install process taking hours.
5G fixed wireless uses a different process, leveraging the same network put into place to support mobile phone services and enabling non line-of-sight or near line-of-sight connections. That represents a big change in labor intensity, and therefore business case.
There still is a requirement for placing a subscriber site receiving unit, but that increasingly can be done by the customer, mounting in a window, for example, and not requiring a roof-mount antenna.
Also, globally, the sheer volume of mobile internet access subscriptions, compared to fixed network connections, creates an arguably friendlier consumer receptivity for wireless home broadband, as does the smaller footprint of the customer premises equipment and the ease of installing such gear.
Also, 5G fixed wireless allows easy bundling and discounts for customers of mobile phone service when fixed wireless also is purchased.
For such reasons, Ericsson and others estimate that 5G fixed wireless subscriptions will grow as 5G networks are built out.
Thought he existing base of fixed wireless connections using 4G or other technologies is relatively small, there still are close to 80 million such connections in service globally in 2021, according to Ericsson. By 2026 perhaps 70 percent of all fixed wireless connections will use 5G, Ericsson also estimates.
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