Fixed Wireless Access  CPE Vendor Survey 2024

• In 2024, shipments of FWA CPE are expected to grow 23% to reach 37.5 million units. Reported total CPE shipments in 2023 amounted to 30.4 million from 30 respondents, a 2% increase from 2022.

• 5G-enabled FWA shipments became mainstream, reaching 10.2 million in 2023. The growth of 5G FWA CPE shipments is expected to accelerate further, accounting for 42% of shipments in 2024 compared with 34% in 2023. By comparison, 4G FWA CPE shipments fell 5% between 2022 and 2023. Less than half of respondents will introduce a new 4G CPE product this year.

• Various regions drove growth of 5G FWA shipments in 2023, in contrast with 2022, when most shipments were concentrated in North America. India is now cntributing to this upward trend in shipments, with 86% of those reported being 5G-enabled, followed by North America (65%) and the rest of Asia–Pacific (39%).

• Shipments are still dominated by indoor CPE (60%), followed by battery-operated hot spots (25%) and outdoor CPE (15%). Within outdoor CPE, flexible self-install devices are expected to grow from 1.6 million to 1.9 million despite their share declining slightly from 36% to 34% of shipments between 2023 and 2024. • Shipments of 5G devices with millimetre-wave (mmWave) capability rose 63% between 2022 and 2023 and are forecast to grow 22% by 2024 but remaining at under 10% of all 5G shipments.

• When it comes 5G standalone, 60% of shipments in 2023 were supported the technology. These are expected to grow in 2024, reaching 8.9 million units, up from 6 million in 2023.

• There is strong interest in RedCap, with 63% of respondents stating they will be introducing a 5G RedCap CPE in 2024.

• According to 40% of respondents, 5G CPE will reach price parity with its 4G counterpart by 2026, a year later than in last year’s survey.

• Most respondents claim that window-mounted CPE and self-installation apps are growing; flexible indoor and outdoor CPE are set to remain flat; and hybrid fibre/DSL CPE will decline.

• More than half of respondents do not expect component shortages but do anticipate inflationary pressures in 2024.