GSA Fixed Wireless Access vendor survey reveals 5G FWA CPE shipments forecast to more than double 2022

25 Jul 2022
Nicola Smart

GSA Fixed Wireless Access vendor survey reveals 5G FWA CPE shipments forecast to more than double 2022

Continued strong growth expected as 5G FWA services expand to focus on connecting the unconnected

London, UK – July 25th – The Global mobile Suppliers Association (GSA) today released the findings of its annual GSA Fixed Wireless Access CPE market survey, revealing that 5G FWA customer premises equipment shipments more than doubled to 3.6 million in 2021 – a year-on-year increase of over 162%. FWA CPE shipments are forecast to double again to 7.6 million in 2022, accounting for over 25% of all shipments by the vendors surveyed.

The strong uptake of 5G FWA devices is expected to continue, with vendors signalling their intention to bring more 5G products to market. While 5G (i.e., 4G+5G capable) FWA devices doubled in 2021, the majority (84%) of shipments in 2021 remained LTE-only, according to the FWA CPE vendors surveyed. Out of all 5G shipments, 160,000 were mmWave-based devices, an increase from 130,000 from the previous year; however, 88% of respondents indicated that they have, or plan to introduce, 5G mmWave products in the next few years.

Further key findings of the annual market survey include:

5G FWA CPEs shipments more than doubled to 3.6 million in 2021 (+162% YoY) and are forecasted to double again to 7.6 million (+114%) in 2022, representing over 25% of shipments
The aggregated shipments for the surveyed companies declined in 2021 partly due to industry-wide/component issues and a strong 2020 comparable driven by the Covid-19 pandemic, especially for battery pocket routers FWA CPE shipments expect to grow 33% in 2022, reaching higher volumes that 2020 at 22 million units“Connecting the unconnected” to be the most important market trend for 2022, with “5G launches” losing in importance as the initial global wave of 5G launches dissipates

The majority of respondents are expecting no or minor component shortages in 2023, at the same time most are expecting inflationary pressures to remain
The full survey report is available to download from the GSA website here: https://gsacom.com/paper/fwa-survey-july-2022/

“Currently there are no agreed market definitions, there is a lack of market information, and no consensus on the volume of FWA device shipments and FWA installed base globally,” said Julien Grivolas, chairman of the GSA 4G/5G FWA Forum. “The purpose of the GSA 4G/5G FWA Forum is to educate the industry about the FWA market and this annual market survey plays an important role in providing a global picture of the true state of the fixed wireless access market and how it is evolving and growing.”

The GSA 4G/5G Fixed Wireless Access Forum was established in late 2020 by 14 initial Partners and Members with the main objective of raising industry awareness of the importance of Fixed Wireless Access (FWA) services and to expand the FWA ecosystem. Since then, the Forum has grown to 49 companies who are promoting the benefits of FWA for mobile broadband as well as their own position in this growing ecosystem. FWA devices suppliers (CPE) form the bulk of membership but there are also module and chipset companies in the Forum, Steering Team, and project teams who support ongoing activities.

The survey results present the aggregate answers of 26 CPE vendors that together form a significant representation of the 3GPP-based 4G/5G FWA device market. All companies are members of the GSA 4G/5G FWA Forum and were surveyed on a range of topics including shipments, market trends, form factors and device features, current and future.

The GSA FWA CPE market survey was first conducted in 2021 and this report presents the findings of the updated survey, where data was collected from April to June 2022. The vendors that participated in the 2022 survey were: Asiatelco Technologies Co, Askey, BEC Technologies, Casa Systems, Changhong, Da Ta Technologies, Esound Technology, Gongjin Mobile Communication / T&W, Gosuncnwelink Technology, Green Packet, Huawei, Intelbras, Jaton Technology, Jointelli, MeiG Smart Technology, MiWire, Mobot Mobile, Nokia, Notion InfoTech, Oppo, SMAWave, TCL, TigerCel, Tozed Kangwei, Wavetel, WNC.

About GSA

GSA is the voice of the global mobile ecosystem representing companies engaged in the supply of infrastructure, semiconductors, test equipment, devices, applications and mobile support services. The organisation plays a central role in promoting 3GPP technology, advocating spectrum policies and stimulating IMT industry development. The association is a single source of information for industry reports and market intelligence

The GSA GAMBoD database is a unique search and analysis tool that has been developed to enable searches of LTE and 5G devices and new global data on Mobile Broadband Networks, Technologies and Spectrum (NTS). Results are presented as a list or in charts. Charts may be inserted into documents or presentations, subject to accreditation of GSA as the source.

GAMBoD is a resource dedicated to promoting the success and growth of the Mobile Broadband (MBB) industry and ecosystem and is fully available to all employees of GSA Executive and Ordinary Member companies and GSA Associates who subscribe to the service. More information on GAMBoD is available here: https://gsacom.com/gambod/

Media contact:

Candice Tobbo

Temono PR (for GSA)

Email: GSA@temono.com