FWA Future Battle Grounds

Since Covid outbreak in 2020 FWA is the most subscribed to internet, as it did not exist before Covid to any degree

For 4th q 2023

* T-M added 541,000 for total 4.8 million subscribers 

* Verizon FWA consumer added 231,000 while business added 144,000 net q 375,000 total subscriber 3 million

….. in comparison Fios internet added 53,000 consumer and 2,000 business for 55,000 adds for quarter

* ATT which launched ATT AIR in late summer ended the year with 97,000 FWA subscribers.

* the #4 company USCellular owned by TDS had over 100,000 FWA subscribers in August 2023.

The biggest churn appears to be from cable companies around 26% but churn is reported occurring between FWA subscribers going between T-Mobile and Verizon. 

Another potential especially for more rural areas is the comments that FWA …

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As UScellular looks to further enhance and expand its Home Internet service especially in rural areas, funding from the National Telecommunications and Information Administration’s Broadband Equity Access and Deployment (BEAD) program will be important. Fixed wireless technology will likely be the best and most affordable option in many under- and un-served areas to help bridge the digital divide in the United States.

Indeed, UScellular has made it clear that it wants to use funds from the BEAD program to build more towers and serve more rural areas with FWA while increasing its 5G mobile coverage.

The telco this week reiterated the importance of that BEAD funding. “Fixed wireless technology will likely be the best and most affordable option in many under- and un-served areas to help bridge the digital divide in the United States,” the company stated.

I suspect USCellular is not the only wireless company believing FWA is the best use of government funds to expand internet in non fiber areas.