Dell’Oro Group VP Jeff Heynen informed RCR that U.S. operators are being cautious to not over-utilize their spectrum for FWA
Disciplined enlargement – Operators are rigorously managing spectrum and capability to guard cellular efficiency, limiting how aggressively Fastened Wi-fi Entry can scale.
Bundling and competitors – Decrease-cost bundles stay enticing to customers, however cable competitors and churn between FWA suppliers may mood subscriber beneficial properties.
This week, Dell’Oro Group launched a report discovering that Fastened Wi-fi Entry (FWA) continues to realize momentum, with whole FWA revenues — together with RAN tools, residential CPE, and enterprise routers and gateways — on observe to develop by roughly 10% in 2025. RCR Wi-fi Information adopted up with Dell’Oro Group Vice President Jeff Heynen for a deeper dive into the findings.
Whereas the agency expects the massive three U.S. operators to increase the provision of FWA companies in each current and new markets, Heynen acknowledged that this assumption may “actually” change, leading to decrease or greater subscriber progress than projected.
“Alongside those self same strains, we’re beginning to see subscriber churn between the FWA suppliers, not simply amongst DSL, cable, and fiber suppliers,” he mentioned. “Cable operators at the moment are combating again with aggressive bundled pricing with no contracts for converged cellular and glued broadband companies. There’s a very actual likelihood that these efforts will end in FWA subscriber progress stalling.”
Nevertheless, Heynen added that Fastened Wi-fi Entry nonetheless has significant room to increase, notably in underserved markets formed by years of restricted cable funding, in addition to amongst prospects seeking to consolidate cellular and broadband companies underneath a single supplier. “Family budgets stay extraordinarily tight, so the attractiveness of a lower-cost bundle will at all times be there,” he mentioned.
T-Cellular US, Verizon, and AT&T all made materials beneficial properties in FWA subscriber numbers in 2025. Heynen views FWA as a “major choice” for T-Cellular US and Verizon, however “extra of a complement” for AT&T, which he mentioned stays extra targeted on fiber enlargement.
U.S. operators, nevertheless, are being cautious to not over-utilize their spectrum for FWA. “The very last thing they need is for bottlenecks to happen that impression the cellular broadband expertise,” Heynen mentioned. As a result of subscribers pay considerably extra per gigabyte for cellular knowledge than they do for FWA, utilization charges — even in probably the most congested markets — are intently managed, to the purpose the place operators might place potential prospects on ready lists in sure areas.
Operators are additionally unlikely to put money into new RAN tools merely to increase their FWA choices. “It simply doesn’t make financial sense due to the fee per gigabit relative to cellular broadband,” he continued.
The same dynamic is rising in India, the opposite main Fastened Wi-fi Entry market at current. Heynen defined that there’s some danger that Reliance Jio and Bharti Airtel — each of that are including tens of millions of subscribers yearly — might not be capable to maintain their present progress charges with out impacting community efficiency.
Wanting forward, Heynen mentioned distributors and operators ought to intently monitor two components over the subsequent yr that would materially alter the Fastened Wi-fi Entry outlook: rising competitors from low Earth orbit (LEO) satellite tv for pc suppliers, and whether or not operators proceed increasing FWA availability or as a substitute cap service progress in favor of further fiber funding.
