FWA in Africa: ready? Or not?

Fixed wireless access (FWA) should be ideal for Africa – but so far it has only had a modest impact. Phil Desmond finds out why.

In theory at least, fixed wireless access (FWA) is ideal for Africa. It’s a way to provide wireless internet access to homes or businesses without laying fibre and cables –providing so-called ‘last-mile’ connectivity.

It also takes advantage of mobile networks. According to Ericsson, FWA is a connection that provides primary broadband access through mobile network-enabled customer premises equipment.

Operators like FWA because it allows them to reuse their existing mobile networks. As for end users, small businesses can undoubtedly benefit – as can households that like the idea of video streaming, entertainment services, e- learning and remote working but can’t get or afford fibre.

In fact Africa doesn’t have much legacy infrastructure, so it’s easy to see how FWA could be a useful alternative to fibre-only networks. It’s true that fibre is rolling out in greater quantities than ever before in Africa (courtesy of companies like Liquid), but deployment can be costly, disruptive and difficult.

Globally, market potential is huge for FWA. Estimates vary, but around 40% of the world’s two billion households are likely to lack a fixed broadband connection – and while FWA is not as high capacity as fibre, it can be deployed more quickly and cheaply and offers acceptable throughput and latency. It could therefore provide an alternative to fixed-line DSL, cable, and fibre across many markets.

4G FWA is an option, but 5G FWA offers much more. That’s because 5G FWA uses standardised 3GPP architectures and common mobile components to deliver ultra-high-speed broadband services to residential subscribers and enterprise customers.

However 5G may use millimetre wave bands that don’t take kindly to interference from trees, snow or rain. Service providers must therefore plan for smaller cell sizes, more cells and increased infrastructure cost per household passed. The more everyday issues of battery theft, equipment damage and zoning approval cycles won’t help either.

Backhaul is usually fibre and thus is another problem. Where fibre backhaul isn’t available, the only other alternatives are potentially expensive microwave or satellite links.

For now, South Africa is the one big FWA market in Africa, with competition pushing down prices, although still not enough for millions of potential customers. And fibre pricing is becoming more competitive – at least in South Africa, where pre-paid pay-asyou-go services are targeting low-income subscribers.

Will the rest of Africa go for FWA? Nokia, in a recent report, says FWA adoption is estimated to reach 23 million subscribers across MEA by 2027, mainly driven by Southern Africa region countries.

That said, last year Nokia and Safaricom celebrated an African first with their successful trial of 4G/5G FWA network slicing in Kenya’s Western Region. And, more recently, Ericsson and operator Free Senegal signed a memorandum of understanding to establish a proof-of-concept project that aims to provide a digital education ecosystem for schools in Senegal with the help of FWA technology.

But 5G network rollout pace, spectrum availability and refarming, and the marketing and pricing strategies of operators will drive FWA in many areas – and 5G isn’t widely available in Africa. FWA in this region is promising, rather than delivering – for now.