GSA survey sees 23% growth in 5G FWA shipments for 2024

The GSA 4G/5G Fixed Wireless Access Forum has published its annual Fixed Wireless Access (FWA) Customer Premises Equipment (CPE) market survey, projecting a 23% growth in shipments to reach 37.5 million units in 2024. This anticipated increase underscores a significant trend towards 5G-enabled devices, which are set to form 42% of the shipments in 2024, compared to 34% in 2023. Conversely, shipments of 4G FWA CPE saw a decline of 5% between 2022 and 2023, with fewer than half of the respondents planning to introduce new 4G CPE products this year.

According to John Yazlle, vice-chairman of the GSA 4G/5G FWA Forum, "This year's Fixed Wireless Access CPE market survey proves beyond doubt that 5G FWA has hit the mainstream." He added, "Not only has the growth in vendor shipments swung firmly behind 5G-enabled CPE devices, but operators are turning to FWA as the key driver for monetising their 5G network investments."

Yazlle also highlighted ongoing collaborations between operators and vendors on innovations such as 5G standalone, Redcap, millimetre-wave, and flexible self-install outdoor CPEs to foster further growth in 5G fixed wireless access services globally.

The survey's key findings reveal that various regions contributed to the growth of 5G FWA shipments in 2023. Previously, most shipments were concentrated in North America, but India has now emerged as a significant contributor, with 86% of the country's reported shipments being 5G-enabled. North America followed with 65%, and the rest of the Asia-Pacific region accounted for 39%.

Indoor CPE continues to dominate the market, comprising 60% of shipments, followed by battery-operated hotspots (25%) and outdoor CPE (15%). Within the outdoor CPE category, flexible self-install devices are expected to see a slight decrease in their share from 36% to 34%, despite an increase in the number of units shipped from 1.6 million to 1.9 million units.

The report also indicated a significant rise in shipments of 5G devices with millimetre-wave (mmWave) capability, which grew by 63% between 2022 and 2023. This segment is projected to continue growing, with a further 22% increase expected by 2024. However, mmWave devices will still represent under 10% of all 5G shipments. Shipments of 5G standalone technology-supported devices accounted for 60% in 2023, with an expected rise to 8.9 million units in 2024, up from 6 million in 2023.

The survey also found a burgeoning interest in RedCap technology, with 63% of respondents planning to introduce a 5G RedCap CPE in 2024. However, many respondents do not expect 5G CPE to reach price parity with 4G CPE until 2026, a year later than projected in the previous survey. Additionally, more than half of the respondents anticipate facing inflationary pressures but do not expect component shortages in 2024.

Julien Grivolas, chairman of the GSA 4G/5G FWA Forum, commented on the survey's broader implications, saying, "This unique survey plays an important role in providing facts and insights into the true state of the fixed wireless access market and how it is evolving and growing globally." He emphasised that the Forum has quickly established itself as a central voice within the 4G-5G FWA ecosystem and is continuously welcoming new members.

The survey, which included responses from 30 CPE vendors, aimed to capture a comprehensive view of market trends, shipping volumes, and device functionalities. The data for this year's survey was collected between May and June 2024.