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Market context
The surge in connected devices has been unprecedented. According to the Cisco Annual Internet Report (2018–2023), by the end of 2023 about two thirds of the global population were using internet connections, and nearly half of internet-connected devices used some form of mobile network for communication. At the same time, other access technologies such as Wi-Fi remain important. Cisco estimated that from 2020 to 2023 Wi-Fi 6 would grow 13-fold and account for more than 10% of all public Wi-Fi hotspots. An Ericsson report projected global 5G population coverage of around 35% by the end of 2022, rising toward 85% by 2028.
Competing or complementary?
Some observers view the rapid growth of both technologies as setting them on a collision course. Others consider 5G and Wi-Fi to be complementary. Historically, cellular networks and Wi-Fi have served different use cases: cellular is typically preferred for mobile, long-range communication where latency and quality guarantees are important, while Wi-Fi is a short-range LAN technology that can provide higher data rates and allows customization for specific user densities and applications. Wi-Fi is often seen as the better choice for homes and large venues because of those customization options.
Integration of 5G and Wi-Fi 6E/7
Recently, 5G and Wi-Fi 6E/7 have become feature-rich and increasingly interdependent. As residential broadband deployment evolves, fixed wireless access (FWA) is a prominent example of how 5G and Wi-Fi can work together, offering new potential for private and enterprise networks.
Impact on fixed wireless access (FWA)
FWA growth demonstrates a clear convergence: customer-premises equipment (CPE) connects to the internet via a 5G radio link rather than a wired broadband connection, while devices on the premises connect to the CPE over standard Wi-Fi. In this model the CPE acts as the router, bridging the 5G backhaul and the local Wi-Fi LAN. The FWA concept is realized only when 5G and Wi-Fi operate with effective interoperability and coexistence.
Benefits of FWA
From an operator perspective, several key advantages exist:
- Reusability of 5G spectrum and infrastructure: Operators can leverage existing 5G spectrum and mobile broadband assets to deploy FWA services, reducing the delivered cost per bit and improving return on infrastructure investment.
- Scalability: Operators can deliver higher data rates and extend connectivity from a single user to multiple users without major infrastructure changes. Consumers benefit by using a fully featured CPE device.
These advantages create new revenue opportunities for operators, but adoption depends on consumer acceptance, CPE cost, and overall time to market.
From a consumer perspective, two primary drivers of FWA adoption are:
- Performance: Quality of service is critical when transitioning from fixed broadband to fixed wireless in private and enterprise networks. Beyond bulk pricing plans, many operators now offer speed tiers to increase monetization and extend services to small and medium businesses. Testing is therefore essential: tests verify antenna performance, ensure power calibration, and assess coexistence, all of which directly affect end-to-end throughput and final user QoS.
- Cost: Lower upfront CPE installation costs and monthly service fees will accelerate FWA uptake. However, broad commercial success depends on operators and OEMs, since development and manufacturing costs are ultimately passed to consumers.
Lowering cost through robust testing
Operators frequently sell white-label CPE products designed and manufactured by third parties. Given limited direct control over these products, operators can use rigorous test and measurement to manage costs and maintain product quality. Investing in high-performance RF test solutions helps ensure device quality and reduce after-sales costs such as returns, replacements, and service center expenses. Relevant RF test approaches include:
- Multi-device testing: Parallel testing during manufacturing is a multi-pronged approach to increase throughput and minimize per-unit test cost while improving production test efficiency.
- Turnkey automated test tools: Chipset-specific test tools often entail additional licensing and labor-intensive integration and debug costs. In contrast, automation test tools that are pre-validated on chipset-specific libraries can significantly reduce the time and effort required to develop internal test solutions.
Conclusion
As 5G and Wi-Fi 6E/7 form a complementary relationship, technologies such as FWA have become commercially viable for private and enterprise networks. Ultimately, the performance of 5G FWA depends on the underlying CPE. Comprehensive pre-deployment testing of CPE is essential, including antenna performance, power calibration, coexistence testing, and end-to-end throughput verification.
