In Short:
Airtel is focusing on boosting its 5G fixed wireless access (FWA) service to strengthen its non-mobile business. FWA will complement FTTH services and target around 60 million households. Airtel plans to offer FWA in 5G standalone mode for higher data usage and throughput requirements. The company is re-farming its spectrum for 5G and aims to deliver the best experience in the market with both standalone and non-standalone modes.
Airtel Sharpens Go-To-Market Strategy for 5G FWA Service
Airtel has intensified its go-to-market strategy to enhance the growth of its 5G fixed wireless access (FWA) service in a bid to strengthen its non-mobile business, as indicated by analysts. FWA is set to complement FTTH services and play a pivotal role in Airtel’s home broadband initiatives, according to a report by IIFL Securities.
Key Insights:
– Airtel is revamping its approach for home broadband, with FWA to support FTTH services.
– FWA in 5G standalone mode will see significantly higher data usage than 5G mobile.
– Airtel aims to optimize its spectrum by refarming mid-band frequencies for 5G network.
– Entertainment will be leveraged to attract new customers.
Analysts’ Views:
“With significantly higher data usage and throughput requirements for FWA, Airtel will roll out FWA in 5G standalone (SA) mode even as 5G mobile would remain in NSA mode. Over time, the company intends to offer 5G mobile on SA without buying fresh low-frequency spectrum, through refarming/dynamic spectrum sharing. This strategy would work if 5G use cases take longer to evolve and mature,” stated the analyst report.
BoFA Securities indicated that Airtel is utilizing SA 5G network for delivering FWA alongside FTTH. Pricing has been aligned for both offerings to expand the total addressable market of homes.
Network Optimizations:
Airtel recently announced the refarming of its mid-band spectrum to cater to the increasing traffic demand on its 5G network. By deploying SA for FWA, the company aims to enhance data usage and uplink capacity.
“As more customers pivot to our 5G services, we have re-farmed our mid band spectrum which was being used for 4G services. With this, we are also ready to launch standalone technology. This will mean that the Airtel network will be the first network in India to run on both stand-alone and non-standalone modes allowing us to deliver the best experience in the market,” stated Randeep Sekhon, CTO of Airtel.
