5G FWA, the Fastest Growing Residential Broadband Service, to Exceed 58 Million Subscriptions in 2026

Demand for efficient home broadband access is expected to drive FWA deployments and migration to higher capacity fixed networks

NEW YORK, Aug. 11, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The worldwide residential broadband market reached a subscriber's base of over 1.1 billion in 2020, a 4% increase from the previous year. Not surprisingly, the COVID-19 pandemic accelerated demand for broadband connectivity. The need for high-capacity residential broadband will remain strong, even after the pandemic recovery. According to global tech market advisory firm ABI Research, 5G Fixed Wireless Access (FWA) will be the fastest-growing residential broadband segment to increase at a CAGR of 71%, exceeding 58 million subscribers in 2026.

Remote working, online learning, e-commerce, and virtual healthcare drove high-speed broadband demand throughout 2020. The significant increase in the use of internet-based home entertainment such as video streaming and online gaming also pushed existing broadband users to upgrade their broadband service to a higher-tier package, while households without broadband access signed up for new subscriptions. "Increasing adoption of internet-connected devices, smart TVs, and smart home devices, as well as consumers' media consumption through internet applications, will continue to drive high-speed broadband adoption in the years to come. In addition, many businesses are allowing remote working for some of their employees after the pandemic, which will boost the need for home broadband services even further," explains Khin Sandi Lynn, Industry Analyst at ABI Research.

To fulfill demand, broadband operators are investing heavily in expanding higher-capacity broadband networks. While some cable operators continue to invest in and upgrade to the DOCSIS 3.1 specification, the cable standardization body, CableLabs, and other industry players are already working toward DOCSIS 4.0 technology. "Although cable companies don't anticipate the need to deploy the new cable standard any time soon, Comcast has completed a lab test of DOCSIS 4.0 full-duplex system-on-chip from Broadband in April 2021. Cable companies are likely to stretch the life of the existing DOCSIS 3.1 standard for a few more years. However, DOCSIS 4.0 can support speeds of up to 10 Gbps downstream and 6 Gbps upstream, enabling improved customer experiences as well as the use of AR/VR or bandwidth-demanding services, which will certainly emerge in the future," says Lynn.

Similarly, telcos continue to upgrade their xDSL to Fiber-to-the-Home (FTTH) networks. In addition, FWA services are a cost-effective alternative when the deployment of a high-speed fixed broadband network is not economically feasible. Ongoing 5G network deployment alongside the development of extended 5G mmWave solutions will allow service providers to offer high-speed 5G FWA services in both urban and low-density areas. 5G FWA services are expected to represent 4% of residential broadband services in 2026, growing from less than 1% in 2020.

As residential broadband penetration saturates mature markets, competition among broadband operators is likely to create challenges to maintain market shares. "In addition to network upgrades, broadband operators need to invest in cutting-edge software and hardware to optimize network performance and support better user experiences. Providing advanced home networking devices, internet security, and home network self-diagnosis tools can help service providers reduce churn and improve average revenue per user," Lynn concludes.

These findings are from ABI Research's Pay TV and Residential Broadband Subscriptions market data report. This report is part of the company's Consumer Technologies research service, which includes research, data, and ABI Insights. Market Data spreadsheets are composed of deep data, market share analysis, and highly segmented, service-specific forecasts to provide detailed insight where opportunities lie.

About ABI Research
ABI Research provides actionable research and strategic guidance to technology leaders, innovators, and decision makers around the world. Our research focuses on the transformative technologies that are dramatically reshaping industries, economies, and workforces today. ABI Research's global team of analysts publish groundbreaking studies often years ahead of other technology advisory firms, empowering our clients to stay ahead of their markets and their competitors.

ABI Research提供开创性的研究和战略指导，帮助客户了解日新月异的技术。 自1990年以来，我们已与全球数百个领先的技术品牌，尖端公司，具有远见的政府机构以及创新的贸易团体建立了合作关系。 我们帮助客户创造真实的业务成果。 

For more information about ABI Research's services, contact us at +1.516.624.2500 in the Americas, +44.203.326.0140 in Europe, +65.6592.0290 in Asia-Pacific or visit www.abiresearch.com.

Contact Info: 

Global                                                             
Deborah Petrara                                                           
Tel: +1.516.624.2558                                                    
pr@abiresearch.com         

Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1471031/ABI_Research_Logo.jpg