Mobile network operators in India, Reliance Jio and Bharti Airtel, view fixed wireless access (FWA) as an important 5G use case to monetize internet connectivity, Economic Times reported. Currently, both MNOs offer mobile phone users unlimited 5G data speeds on flat rate plans which result in flat to slow service revenue growth. But each company views FWA differently.
Jio said in its 4QFY24 earnings call that it is ready to deploy Jio AirFiber, its FWA offering, to nearly 6,000 towns across the country. On the other hand, Airtel sees FWA as a niche offering. It has deployed FWA in 25 cities with more to follow. Airtel said its FWA deployment is taking some time due to delays in deliveries of customer premise equipment that is being sourced from international vendors.
“In the overall scheme of things, fixed wireless access also will be relatively niche [application] because remember the broadband business itself is about 5 percent of the overall contribution in India, so of that, FWA will be small percentage,” says Gopal Vittal, Airtel Managing Director and CEO, during the company’s recent earnings call.
To put that in context, the Indian telecom regulator, TRAI, reported at the end of March that Jio had roughly 470 million wireless subscribers of which 108 million were 5G users. Similarly, Airtel served nearly 386 million subscribers with about 72 million of those on 5G.
Vittal added that Airtel is planning to accelerate FWA deployment in locations where its fiber reach is insufficient or non-existent. “[FWA] will always be a complement to fiber. Where there is fiber, obviously we will put focus on fiber because the experience given the better uplink and downlink and more resilient network that fiber will always be better than a wireless network. But given the unutilized spectrum on FWA from 3.5 GHz clearly fixed wireless will be a very good complement where fiber is,” Vittal said.
Airtel is using 5G standalone architecture (SA) for FWA but has deployed a 5G non standalone architecture (NSA) for its mobile traffic, according to Vittal. Deploying 5G in SA mode involves installing a dedicated RAN and core that tends to result in higher capex and opex. NSA mode utilizes the existing 4G core and can be cost-effective in the get-started deployment phase. By contrast, Jio has deployed 5G on its SA network for both mobile and FWA services.
“On SA deployment [for 5G mobile services], … [t]here are a lot of trials that are happening to see how this will work out. I think the midband holdings are really a big and very, very priceless part of the overall SA strategy which is [in the] 1800-2100 MHz band,” Vittal said.
By John Celentano, Inside Towers Business Editor
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