Growing Monetization Appeal of 5G Fixed Wireless Access

Fixed Wireless Access (FWA) continues to grow in appeal to communications service providers (CSPs) around the world, with the ability to offer speed-based tariff plans—enhanced by 5G capabilities—proving particularly attractive, according to the June 2025 Ericsson Mobility report.

While about 80% of the global CSPs sampled by Ericsson currently offer FWA services, the most rapid area of growth continues to be among CSPs offering 5G-enabled speed-based tariff plans.

With 5G FWA, service providers can offer a range of subscriber packages with different data speeds and entertainment options—similar to cable or fiber offerings—increasing monetization opportunities for CSPs compared to earlier generations of FWA.

The report shows that more than half (51%) of global CSPs with FWA offerings, now include speed-based options—up from 40% on the same period in June 2024—driven by high adoption in North America, and growth in Europe and the Middle East.

FWA is projected to account for more than 35% of new fixed broadband connections, with an expected increase to 350 million by the end of 2030. 5G FWA plays a crucial role in expanding broadband access, especially in areas where traditional wired infrastructure may be less feasible.

On 5G subscriptions, the report forecasts subscriptions to top 2.9 billion globally by the end of 2025—about one third of all mobile subscriptions. The 5G subscription forecast for the end of 2030 remains at 6.3 billion.

Mobile network data traffic increased by 19% from the first quarter of 2024 to the corresponding period in 2025. Despite a declining growth rate, net added traffic will continue to increase year-on-year, with the report forecasting that mobile data traffic will more than double through the forecast period through the end of 2030.

5G networks handled 35% of global mobile traffic by the end of 2024, with forecasters expecting the figure to top 80% by the end of 2030.

In Europe, 5G mid-band coverage topped 50% population coverage by the end of 2024. While the figure puts the region in line with the global average, it lags far behind frontrunner countries such as North America where 5G mid-band deployment has topped 90% population coverage, and India where 5G mid-band population coverage reached 95% by the end of 2024.

Through commentary, insights and customer/partner case stories, the report highlights the ability of 5G Standalone (5G SA) and 5G Advanced to create monetization opportunities for CSPs globally, based on value delivery rather than data volume.

The report highlights how CSPs are pursuing new commercial opportunities by offering differentiated connectivity services to consumers, enterprises and public authorities. Use cases include broadcast/video production, point of sale systems, events/arenas, gaming, FWA, virtual private networks, and enterprise productivity.

Deeper dive articles include:

Study on how GenAI will impact future mobile network traffic. Only applications with high adoption and high data rate requirements will impact mobile network traffic growth globally.
Article (co-written with BT Group) about the CSP's launch strategy for 5G Standalone, which they branded "More than a network upgrade." By the end of March 2025, the 5G SA network was live and available to more than 28 million people across 50 major towns and cities in the UK, covering more than 40% of the population.
Article (co-written with Sony) on how the company continually works with new and disruptive technologies to enhance the entertainment businesses. Dynamic slicing, in combination with Quality on Demand (QoD) APIs, will enable live media production over mobile networks, delivering great user experiences.

Erik Ekudden, Ericsson Senior Vice President and Chief Technology Officer, says, "We are at an inflection point, where 5G and the ecosystem are set to unleash a wave of innovation. The recent advancements in 5G standalone (SA) networks, coupled with the progress in 5G-enabled devices, have led to an ecosystem poised to unlock transformative opportunities for connected creativity."

He adds, "Service providers have recognized this potential of 5G and are beginning to monetize it through innovative service offerings that extend beyond merely selling data plans. To fully realize the potential of 5G, it is essential to continue deploying 5G SA and to further build out mid-band sites. 5G SA capabilities serve as a catalyst for driving new business growth opportunities."

Source: Ericsson