According to a research note by BoFA Securities, Reliance Jio and Bharti Airtel are likely to drive 80 per cent of new site additions by financial year 2030 (FY30) as they enhance their 4G and 5G mobile network capacities.
As per the note, Jio and Airtel concluded their nationwide 5G deployments in early 2024, and are focused on offering commercial 5G fixed wireless access (FWA) services to their customers. Vodafone Idea Limited (Vi) has secured 4G and 5G gear procurement deals with vendors, but is yet to commence commercial rollout of its 5G services.
The note added that telcos are rapidly deploying small cells to augment their macro network. These energy-efficient and compact equipment provide additional capacity in network congested areas and further coverage in regions that have gaps at the cell-edge.
It also highlighted that fixed broadband deployment is likely more suitable for rural or suburban areas where the telco spectrum is not fully utilised. It added that satellite broadband can offer upto 300 Mbps speeds comparable to 5G FWA, but lesser than the one Gbps-plus speeds offered by fibre broadband.
Furthermore, FWA deployment globally is a rural solution primarily and even in India this will be deployed in rural or suburban/urban regions where fibre is dark, but eventually, telcos may look to upgrade users to a fibre offering.
