The 5G FWA opportunity: a scenario for Southeast Asia

5G fixed wireless access (FWA) is now a commercial reality in developed and developing countries around the world. While FWA solutions have been around for more than two decades, the massive performance improvements enabled by 5G and the use of mmWave spectrum (enabling speeds that are over 10 times that of 4G) make 5G FWA a competitive solution compared to the predominant technologies in the fixed broadband market.

This is the fifth in a series of research reports examining the conditions under which 5G FWA can be a cost-effective means to deliver broadband services, compared to alternative wireline technologies and according to different deployment strategies. In this report, we focus on the opportunity for mobile network operators and internet service providers in Southeast Asia to provide 5G FWA services. We start with an overview of the state of the fixed broadband market in the region and then use our unique total cost of ownership model to show under what conditions 5G FWA would be a cost-effective alternative to fibre to the home for providing download speeds of at least 100 Mbps.