According to a report by Emkay Global, fixed wireless access (FWA) could be a crucial aspect of monetizing 5G for telecom companies.
By offering FWA at an affordable price, these companies can easily enter households and then upsell additional services such as content and IoT, thereby improving their overall revenue.
The report suggests that Reliance Jio may have an advantage in FWA deployment due to its wide 5G coverage, access to better spectrum bands, strong fiber infrastructure for backhaul, in-house technology from the Mimosa acquisition, and a larger workforce for acquiring homes.
The report also highlights that Reliance Jio’s use of the expensive 700MHz band for 5G can provide wider coverage and better signal penetration compared to its competitors. FWA using 5G is seen as an opportunity for telecom companies to reach homes that were previously not covered by wired broadband.
Reliance Jio, with its extensive fiber network for backhaul, is considered to be in a better position for 5G and FWA deployments compared to Airtel. On the other hand, Airtel aims to strengthen its 5G backhaul through the deployment of e-band microwaves. Reliance Jio has already rolled out 5G in more cities and towns compared to Airtel and its acquisition of Mimosa Networks allows for cost-effective solutions and products for FWA.
