Fixed-wireless access (FWA) remains the darling of 5G use cases, with speakers at the recent MWC Las Vegas event heaping accolades on a service that has shown much-needed fiscal traction.

“I love that 5G use case,” Joe Russo, EVP and president of Verizon’s global networks and technology business, bluntly told SDxCentral at the event. “It’s great for us and I think great for our customers to give them more broadband choice.”

Kyle Malady, EVP and CEO for Verizon Business, echoed that enthusiasm during a keynote question-and-answer session.

“Fixed wireless access is super simple. It's just like getting a cell phone and you're ready to go,” Malady said. “The bandwidth is absolutely there for people who need it, and people are seeing the value of it and are gravitating toward it.”

This gravitational pull is being fueled by a surge in operators deploying 5G-based FWA services.

Mobile Experts recently reported there were now more than 100 mobile operators offering some form of 5G-based FWA service, compared to around 60 just two years ago. The research firm also reported that FWA connections surpassed more than 100 million at the end of last year, with that number set to hit 257 million connections by 2028.

Verizon’s “love” for 5G-based FWA extends to the growing enterprise space.

The operator earlier this year added a new management portal and security features that provide IT departments with more control and access to the carrier’s FWA service.

Russo noted that the operator has “headroom” on its network to support expanding FWA services, with more potential from tapping into its deep millimeter-wave (mmWave) spectrum pool.

“We're putting small cells up in downtown areas and we're serving businesses with fixed-wireless access millimeter wave,” Russo said. “The Starbucks on the corner, it's a great use case for me. I got poles running down main street and I put a millimeter-wave radio on the top of it and I can serve those businesses with fixed-wireless access.”

Russo also cited a recent trial Verizon completed that beamed a signal using licensed mmWave spectrum in the 37 GHz–39 GHz band between a centralized, rooftop radio site and a radio sitting on a simulated building. That signal was then transmitted through coaxial cable throughout the building to a data processing unit tied to a modem, which then used the building’s existing wiring to transport a broadband signal to end-user routers.

T-Mobile US is following a similar path. CEO Mike Sievert recently said the carrier is looking for ways to bolster FWA support without incurring additional capex. He noted the carrier was looking at different spectrum models that could tap into its millimeter-wave (mmWave) and mid-band spectrum to power a “nonstandard-based solution” or multi-dwelling unit (MDU) strategies.

Mishka Dehgan, SVP for strategy, product and solutions engineering at T-Mobile’s Business Group, said the carrier is seeing similar enterprise FWA growth opportunities, highlighting a specific business need.

“Usually what you see with fixed wireless is a nationwide, distributed footprint that the customer wants to light up,” Dehgan said.

Dehgan also pointed to T-Mobile US’ recent deepening of its enterprise-focused FWA equipment through partnerships with Cisco and Cradlepoint.

AT&T, which has been more cautious than its rivals in rolling out FWA, is also seeing enterprise 5G FWA opportunities.

Alicia Dietsch, SVP of business marketing for AT&T, recently told SDxCentral that 5G-powered FWA was increasingly becoming a fallback option for enterprise customers, including for use as an alternative connection method for SD-WAN services or as an “interim” high-speed broadband connection for fiber.

“In the right situations we would advance FWA as a recommended solution to the customer,” Dietsch said.