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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