India’s fixed wireless subscriber base is expected to reach 5 million by the end of 2024, according to a report from Counterpoint Research.
The report also notes that the rollout of fiber services is progressing more slowly than anticipated and will likely fall behind 5G Fixed Wireless Access (FWA) in terms of net subscriber additions in 2024 and 2025.
FWA provides high-speed internet via 5G networks without the need for physical cables, while fiber delivers traditional high-speed internet through fiber optic cables.
With over 350 million households in India, fiber alone will not be enough to bridge the country’s digital divide. A complementary technology is needed to offer the necessary speed and capacity to serve the mass population.
“Therefore, 5G FWA can help bridge the gap and is expected to double its subscriber base by 2025 compared to the end of 2024,” the report states.
As of September 2024, Jio’s Airfiber services had added more than 2.8 million subscribers in India. Both Jio and Airtel began offering FWA services in India in Q4 2023.
Jio has adopted an outdoor-indoor CPE-router setup, while Airtel offers an indoor CPE solution. In India, around 11 per cent of households are connected to fixed broadband, while over 55 per cent of the population accesses the internet via mobile broadband.
Jio has expanded its coverage to 98 per cent of districts across the country and plans to increase capacity in densely populated areas.
The company is especially focused on deploying Jio Airfiber services in suburban and rural areas, as well as the outskirts of urban regions, where Jio Fiber coverage remains limited.
Jio’s FWA deployment is unique in that a single outdoor unit can service up to six subscribers, significantly reducing the upfront cost of customer-premises equipment (CPE).
This strategy enables Jio to offer FWA plans at prices similar to its fiber offerings, removing cost as a barrier to adoption.
In conclusion, 5G FWA is expected to play a crucial role in bridging India’s digital divide, with its subscriber base projected to double by 2025 compared to the end of 2024.