ABI Research tipped 5G fixed wireless access (FWA) CPE shipments to increase from 10.7 million in 2023 to 36.8 million by 2029 with a CAGR of 22.9 per cent, due in part to increased uptake by businesses.

Larbi Belkhi, an industry analyst at ABI Research, highlighted the US market as a success story for 5G FWA with Verizon, AT&T and T-Mobile US on track to hit their targets for connections.

He stated those connections are “achieved by serving customers with a multi-vendor portfolio of CPEs for their varying requirements”.

The company also noted enterprise FWA announcements have gained traction in 2024, especially in the US market where operators are diversifying their offerings.

ABI cited AT&T adding Askey and Cisco 5G FWA gear to its enterprise offerings as proof of the uptake this year while T-Mobile picked a Cradlepoint 5G router for its business customers.

Belkhi stated the business sector, particularly small-to-medium sized business (SMBs), “is a fast-growing opportunity for FWA, especially in the US”.

“The faster deployment and scalability it offers makes it particularly attractive for SMBs, but they have more nuanced requirements than simply just performance and price, so CPE vendors diversifying offerings to serve this market is key to success,” he explained.

Globally, ABI Research forecast 5G FWA subscriptions to hit 118 million by 2029, around 45 per cent of total users at that point.