Page 22 - SAMENA ELITE - June-September 2025
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ARTICLE
22 JUN-SEP 2025
OBSERVATIONS BY SAMENA COUNCIL
FWA as a Pragmatic Tool
for Inclusive, Accelerated
Broadband Growth
As connectivity goals intensify Regional policy frameworks are
across the SA-ME-NA region, Fixed These global developments also evolving to support the
Wireless Access (FWA) continues role of FWA. Governments and
to solidify its role as a viable and hold particular relevance regulators in countries such as
scalable broadband access solution, for the Middle East, Central Qatar are modernizing their telecom
particularly in markets where fibre Asia, and surrounding regulations to promote infrastructure
deployment is challenged by cost, regions. In these areas, competition, with FWA expected to
time, or terrain. operators are deploying benefit from these changes. In Sub-
Saharan Africa and Central Asia,
FWA not only to expand
In global markets, FWA has proven operators are exploring emerging
itself to be far more than a temporary access but also to technologies like 5G RedCap, which
solution. With over 160 million active support broader national are designed to make FWA even
FWA connections at the end of 2024, infrastructure goals. more accessible and affordable for
and projections indicating more than underserved communities.
350 million by 2030, nearly 80 percent
of them expected to be powered particular relevance for the Middle Rather than presenting fiber and FWA
by 5G, FWA is rapidly becoming East, Central Asia, and surrounding as competing technologies, many
an established part of broadband regions. In these areas, operators are operators are adopting a hybrid
delivery. Leading operators across deploying FWA not only to expand infrastructure strategy. FWA is being
the United States, India, and Asia- access but also to support broader used to provide immediate access
Pacific are reporting millions of new national infrastructure goals. In while fiber networks are extended
subscribers each year. This growth is environments where fibre-to-the- and upgraded. In some cases, such
being driven by increasing demand home is not yet universally feasible as AT&T’s approach in the United
for fast installation, affordability, due to economic, geographic, or States, FWA is helping transition
and improving service performance demographic constraints, FWA customers away from legacy DSL
through continuous innovation in enables service providers to deliver connections. The decision to offer
network infrastructure and customer reliable broadband more quickly fiber or FWA is based on specific local
equipment. and at a lower cost. This approach conditions, providing flexibility and
is especially effective in semi-urban, responsiveness to market needs. This
These global developments hold rural, and remote areas. approach is especially important
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