Connecting India with Future-proof FWA Service

In this episode of Fibocast, Neil Shah, Partner and Vice President of Research at Counterpoint Research, dives deep into the transformative potential of 5G Fixed Wireless Access (FWA) in India. Joined by Ragin KT, Country Sales Manager of India at Fibocom, the discussion explores how 5G FWA revolutionises connectivity in urban, semi-urban, and rural areas, delivering fiber-like speeds with cost-effective, scalable solutions. 

India is expected to become the world’s largest 5G fixed wireless access (FWA) market by 2027 with over 30 million subscribers, according to a recent announcement by Counterpoint Research in November 2024. In this podcast, our guest speakers discussed the ecosystem readiness of this huge market potential and how the latest technological innovations like mmWave, and RedCap is uplifting the accessible FWA service across various scenarios.  

Transcript

Neil Shah: [00:00:00] Hi everyone. Welcome to Fibocast. The go to podcast for thought leaders, engineers, tech enthusiasts and in the telecom industry. In Fibocast we deep dive into transformative technologies, shaping the future of connectivity. So from the groundbreaking 5G communication to the unlimited potential of AI and internet of things and the intersection of all three, right?

So, what we would do in this podcast, we would try to explore how these innovations are transforming the way we communicate, operate, and grow together as an ecosystem. So my name is Neil Shah. I am partner and Vice President research at Counterpoint Research and we are a global research firm and we track everything from chip to module to device, to cloud and connectivity. And I'm the host of today's Fibocast and the topic we are exploring today is how does future-proof 5G FWA service is transforming [00:01:00] digitalization in India. And today's episode, we have Mr. Ragin who is joining us, and tell us more about your role at Fibocom. 

Ragin K T: Hi everyone. I'm Ragin K T, the country sales manager for India at Fibocom. Welcome to this episode of Fibocast. Today, we are diving into an exciting topic, the transformative potential of 5G Fixed Wireless Access, or in short, FWA, in bridging India's connectivity gaps, with its ability to deliver fiber -like speeds and seamless reliability.

5G FWA is a truly game changer, especially for urban, semi-urban and rural communities where traditional broadband often are far short.

Neil Shah: Yeah, I think it should be a great discussion with Fibocom's position in the ecosystem in enabling 5G FWA experiences, right and you guys are not new to this. You have been enabling a lot of 5G applications and [00:02:00] use cases and ecosystem globally. So, yeah. Yeah. Let's maybe dive into this 5G FWA has been a hot topic and one of the most sought after use cases after a smartphone right before 5G and, the Global Supply Association GSA as we know, they have seen significant growth in FWA shipment, almost 86%. And there's a footprint for 5G FWA. How do you see India, position in this 5G FWA space? And what are the key markets,  which India competes with?  ideally it does not compete with, right? There are other markets which are also contributing to the scale like North America.

So do you see,  India anytime outperforming North America or is that the way we should think?

Ragin K T: Yeah. Thanks. That's a very, uh interesting question.  such a timely discussion because,  the [00:03:00] numbers tell an exciting story, like you mentioned 86 percent of India's FWA shipments are already 5G enabled. That alone shows the incredible momentum of 5G adoption in the country.

But here is a big question, can India surpass North America in 5G FWA subscribers. I would like to break down this, like first India's population and the demand for connectivity are massive as all we know is very massive. With over 1. 4 billion people, we have this huge untapped market, especially in rural areas where traditional fiber deployment can be really challenging.

And that's where FWA shines. It bridges the gap, perfectly,  delivering high speed internet, without the heavy cost and the laying down of fiber [00:04:00] optics. Second,  there is strong support from government initiatives. Like we already know the digital India mission, which are pushing for a greater broadband penetration.

5G FWA fits right into these goals because it's cost-effective, also scalable and quick to deploy.  We are already seeing major players like,  Jio, Reliance Jio, Airtel, and also recently the BSNL heavily investing in this space, their affordable 5G data plans are making it easier for the masses to get connected. Now, if we compare this to North America, the dynamics are a bit different here as they have a high 5G adoption rate, but the market, there is much more saturated growth in North America is [00:05:00] incremental. It's more about upgrading urban networks or supporting niche applications. But in India, on the other hand, it's still in its expansion phase, which means,  there is immense potential to capture new subscribers and grow rapidly.

Of course, there are challenges. Spectrum allocation,  device affordability and our rural infrastructure readiness could slow down the things, but this is where innovation comes into the game. For example, from the Fibocom side, like at Fibocom, we are offering 5G-enabled connectivity modules, which fit into the CPE devices or FWA devices that are designed to overcome these hurdles.

The focus is on, making advanced technologies,  accessible and adaptable,  to the diverse market needs. Ultimately, it's not just about suppressing North America in subscriber numbers.  It's about [00:06:00] also redefining the global 5G landscape with the right mix of innovation, policy, support and collaboration across industries.

I truly believe India is well on its way to becoming a global leader in 5G FWA. So, in conclusion, I believe India is making remarkable progress in 5G deployment, okay, which is opening up a lot of new opportunities across various sectors. Could you also add your perspective and share some of the latest updates on the 5G rollout in the country? Also, what are some of the most exciting consumer focused use cases that you see transforming daily life? 

Neil Shah: I think you summarised really well with respect to, we should look at differently every country that has a different problem. North America has different challenges to solve, [00:07:00]  with FWA and India has a different and overall ecosystem and the policies and regulations and the end motive, like for India, it's more of bridging the digital divide, right?

So from that perspective, if you look at, talking about digital divide, the 5G rollout has been fascinating in India, as you have tracked as well, right? As you talked about Jio, Airtel, now BSNL and Vodafone idea is also trying to do so. So Jio and Airtel have already, if you look at, captured more than 7000 plus towns, rolled out their coverage with covering more than 95 percent population.

Obviously broad and it will go deeper with more how they allocate spectrum across different markets. We already have, like, close to a quarter billion or 250 million 5G subscriptions are using high speed broadband.

Ragin K T: Yeah, right.

Neil Shah:  And those are mostly for smartphones at this point, right? And that is the number one use case,  with respect to communication, consuming content, or conducting commerce. So, basically all these users, 250 million [00:08:00] users, which is still a fraction of the 1.4 billion population you said, or 800 to 900 million unique users we have, if you look at 5G has been an enabler, the major use cases has been consuming content super fast at high resolution. And in an uninterrupted way, we don't have to wait for that loading signal anymore, right?

So on an average, like a 5G consumer, a mobile consumer is consuming like 28GB to 32GB per month. There's one GB per day. And part of it is also because of you mentioned rightly about affordable prices. For 5G and the same concept, I believe Airtel and Jio are pushing it for 5G FWA as an alternative to connect homes with high speed broadband.

Right now, if you look at in India, there are just 30 to 35 million homes out of 300 million homes have high speed broadband.

So there is [00:09:00] immense opportunity, as you said, with respect to rolling out this robust wireless high speed broadband with 5G. So Jio has already started that with a JioAirFiber.

And the fascinating data point with Jio shared was they're seeing almost 30 percent higher capital usage on JioAirFiber on its FWA service versus Jio's Fiber service. Right. And they're seeing this uptake mostly in tier two towns, which also nicely stands with your point, Ragin, about that digital divide in the rural and suburban areas. So I think FWA has been the most killer use case for 5G, which is more impactful with connecting the unconnected whereas for mobile, it's just upgraded from 4G to 5G.

Ragin K T: Exactly. Yeah. I also believe the same. I think, just to add some comment to your points, I think India is also one of the countries where the internet cost is very low compared to other regions. That's what I understand [00:10:00] from the news is actually, this will help to penetrate the market in a big manner.

And why, like Wide range, yes.

Neil Shah: Yeah. Absolutely. That is a very important point, because the India it's about speed and  like throughputs coverage and capacity, right? So once you have good throughputs and lower latency, there's so many different applications and use cases which can emerge, right,  on the enterprise side as well, not just consumer.

Ragin K T: Yes, right.

Neil Shah: Yeah. So let's continue this discussion. And maybe if you can also provide, maybe for the double click into, what we discussed about what you tell and, the other operators are trying to do. So how are you seeing this rollout? Like, what  are you seeing in terms of the rollout being closer to the ecosystem?

Ragin K T: Yes, as of the latest updates, two major operators in India, like Reliance Jio and Airtel, we call it Bharti Airtel are the [00:11:00] forefront of driving 5G FWA adoption now. Okay. Both companies have rolled out services that are rapidly expanding across urban, suburban, and even rural areas.

Jio's AirFibre, has been a standout success with over 2.8 million subscribers by late 2024. On the other hand, Airtel's Xtreme AirFibre is also making waves, targeting similar markets with a strong focus on bridging the digital divide. What's exciting is how these solutions are tackling a critical challenge in India, providing high speed connectivity in regions where laying traditional fiber infrastructure is not feasible. Now, the other players like Vodafone Idea in India, VI is and the BSNL are also exploring FWA [00:12:00] opportunities, that we know, but they are not quite keeping pace with the Jio and Airtel in terms of implementation.

They are a bit slow, behind compared to Jio and Airtel now, but definitely we hope, they'll also come up to this segment very soon. The future looks promising. The overall FWA subscriber base in India is projected to double by 2025,  signalling a massive growth opportunity for broadband connectivity across the country in a shift highlights the transformative potential of FWA.

In creating a more connected India and it is clear that we are just scratching the surface or what is possible. I think it's, in a simple word, I like to say it's a small piece of iceberg, actually, but what is happening now, and it has to come. It has to go way far compared to today's volume. 

So Neil, [00:13:00] as we look to the evolving landscape, how do we accurately forecast the ecosystem readiness in this market and what factors should we be paying the utmost attention?

Neil Shah: So being an analyst, I look at like from 360 degree view, right, a chipset to modules, to CPEs, to operators, and then the use cases, right? So if you look at the entire ecosystem is made of all these different players, which are contributing to the entire solution of 5G FWA Fibocom being one of the big ones with respect to modules, right?

So what the bottleneck has been, is 5G chipsets,  have, have been expensive, over the last few years,  at least for the first wave of 5G NSA deployment and for Jio at 5G SA, but,  the chipsets have, with the Sub-6 plus millimeter wave has been expensive. Sub-6 also has been [00:14:00] expensive to some extent and that is where the module prices also have been slightly higher, and with respect to,  every country having the different spectrum band, different RFID challenges, which is radio front end challenges, right? So the cost of the CPE has been one of the major bottlenecks. So we see a sub USD150 CPE, 5G CPE as a very sweet spot.

Obviously below hundred dollars is very good.  and that most of the Indian operators are trying to look at  considering the ARPU is still very low in India, it's one of the lowest, that where we see this massive adoption. But because there is scale at the same time, so, if the ecosystem can bring down the,  overall.

Cost of the CPEs below 150 dollars or below even hundred dollars for some applications. I think that will drive lot of adoption and in emerging like India, Middle East, Africa, or Southeast Asia, [00:15:00] and even for North America in rural communities. I see there are multiple ways we can do that, but I like to pick your brains on that one. But I see is there could be multiple ways it can be done. Like in India, millimeter wave as well. So FR2 millimeter wave, only CPE can be cheaper. 5G Redcap which new standard coming up a reduced capacity of 5G, which can drive  lower cost for CPEs at the same time. So I see some of these strategies could help lower the barriers to access or entry of the 5G CPE and the ecosystem. And anyways, we are well oiled in terms of operator strategy to bundle content, keep the ARPU affordable.

So when these two come together, I think it will be more powerful, in terms of getting that goal of, achieving, more homes connected with 5G FWA.

Ragin K T: Thank you for putting this 5G RedCap into this discussion. Actually, I believe, RedCap have a really good future, coming because when there is a cost coming to the matter and the technology should be upgraded, then the 5G RedCap come.

Neil Shah: Absolutely.

Ragin K T: yeah,

Neil Shah: How do you see once you have the ecosystem readiness right? So how do you see different applications evolving for the 5G FWA, in terms of,  the end application, the users of 5G FWA, it might not be just consumers, right?

Ragin K T: yes, right. Yeah. In India, like,  I will specify in India's like India, 5G FWA market. Is opening up some [00:17:00] really exciting opportunities, especially in niche areas that have both high impact and strong growth potential. I would like to break it down in this way. First, rural areas. These regions often lack reliable broadband, even today.

And this is where FWA shines. It's cost effective and can make a real difference in areas like our education, public education, health care, and even also in the government sector, like we can say e-governance by providing the connectivity they desperately need. Second, Small businesses like SMBs, we call, are the backbones of our India economy, right?

And they need affordable, flexible internet solutions to stay competitive. FWA is an ideal option to support their digital transformation and [00:18:00] IoT requirements without heavy infrastructure costs. Third, urban hotspots, even in crowded cities, there are pockets where fiber can't always meet the demand due to the space or logistical issues.

FWA can step in here either as a complement to the fiber or even a replacement in some cases delivering a reliable high speed internet. And finally, next generation technologies, whether it's AR and VR applications or cloud gaming or immense, 360 degree streaming, FWA provides the speed and low latency that this cutting edge use cases require. 

What makes these markets particularly exciting is that they combine social impact, like [00:19:00] bridging the digital divide with huge business growth potential. For telcos, this is a golden opportunity to innovate and expand while making a real difference.

Neil Shah: Yeah, these are quite different areas where FWA can shine, I think, and as you rightly pointed, there are tremendous opportunities, with 5G promises and can deliver as well if operators have that good coverage, and affordable prices at the same time.  infrastructure ready with CPEs everywhere, right?

So I believe there are multiple business use cases and business models which can come out of it. So, my question would be what is Fibocom's role in empowerment of this FWA. I know you have been in the center of enabling a lot of applications in 4G or LPWA but when it comes to 5G FWA, can you talk about Fibocoms role, [00:20:00] especially in India 

Ragin K T: Thanks for asking this question because as a part of Fibocom, I would be very happy to answer this question or comment on anything on this. 

So we, Fibocom, developed advanced cellular modules, tailored especially for FWA applications, enabling high speed, low latency internet access,  without the need for a physical cable. So Fibocom has built a comprehensive portfolio of 5G modules powered by leading chipset partners like Qualcomm, now as we partner, MediaTek.

So these modules integrate cutting edge 5G technologies, including 5G advanced sub-6, and Redcap ensuring both wide coverage and ultra fast speeds. What's even more exciting is our commitment to local manufacturing. So we already doing the local manufacturing for our Indian customers.

So I can probably [00:21:00] say Fibocom also made in India product aligning with the specific needs of regional markets. Okay. So our modules are optimised for customer premises, equipment or we call it CPE devices. Which are critical in FWA setups, plus,  they are compatible with the global networks, making them incredibly versatile for deployment in different regions around the world.

 so what's the impact like Fibocom solutions make it is easier for operators to deliver high speed internet to rural and semi urban areas where traditional fiber infrastructure just is not feasible. This goes beyond just connectivity.  It's about bridging the digital divide.  We are enabling access to digital education, improving healthcare services, and fostering growth [00:22:00] for small business.

Fibocom's journey in FWA is just getting started,  and it's amazing to be part of shaping the future of connectivity in such a meaningful way. 

Neil Shah: That's great! I see Fibocom's contribution, having tracked the module market very closely. I think at the heart of the CPE, the module and the entire performance of, how CPE performs, relies on the quality and even the cost involved and the testing done.

Right. And I am really happy to know about the Make in India initiatives Fibocom and driving that journey. Right. So it's fascinating to hear about that.

Ragin K T: Yeah. Thank you, Neil.  This has been such a valuable discussion about the FWA ecosystem in the India market. And I truly appreciate to you bringing so many [00:23:00] insights to our audience.  For anyone interested in learning more, please visit our website at fibocom.com or reach out to us directly. We would love to connect and share more about Fibocom's module solutions tailored for the India market.

Neil Shah: Thank you for having me here as well and thank you everyone for listening to hear more joined the Fibocast, Fibocom's new podcast will be coming soon to IoT-Now.com. Look out for more details on the Fibocast on social media and web channels. Thank you everyone for listening, thank you very much. 

Ragin K T: Thank you Neil