Ericsson Middle East and Africa said it expects digital access to be significantly lower in Africa as the region started from a lower level of broadband penetration compared to other global regions.
Chafic Traboulsi, vice-president and head of Networks at Ericsson Middle East and Africa, said on Monday that today, the global digital divide persists, with around one billion households without fixed broadband, and projections indicating that about 30% of households worldwide may still lack broadband connectivity by 2028, according to an Ericsson analysis.
“At the same time, 3GPP technologies, including LTE and 5G, are poised to offer extensive coverage, reaching over 95% of households globally for LTE and around 85% for 5G by 2028.
“This widespread household coverage presents an avenue for mobile operators to deliver fixed wireless access (FWA) services on top of their existing mobile broadband (MBB) offerings,” Traboulsi said.
The telecommunications company said the question was how unconnected households and businesses could be effectively and quickly covered to close the digital divide.
It said solutions for home broadband could be gathered into three main categories: fixed-dedicated line solutions like fibre or DSL, satellite-based solutions and fixed wireless access (FWA).
“xDSL and cable require relatively low investments, particularly if pre-existing infrastructure is available. In contrast, the appeal of fibre lies in its capacity to provide high speeds. However, limitations in xDSL and cable, related to speed and distance, can curtail future-proofness.
“Meanwhile, the extensive upfront investment associated with fibre, including factors like civil engineering and project approvals, contributes to its deployment challenges.
“In this context, FWA’s ability to offer lower costs (it can be as low as a tenth of the cost of laying fibre, increased flexibility, and expedited deployment timelines, has garnered attention.”
Furthermore, while fixed broadband services could only be used to provide home broadband connectivity, FWA could also be used for multiple use cases including MBB and Internet of Things (IoT). This enables using the same radio network infrastructure to address multiple use cases, it said.
Traboulsi said FWA emerged as a pivotal tool for addressing Africa's broadband needs.
“While 4G FWA provides an initial stepping stone, the potential of 5G becomes evident through its ability to deliver fibre-like speeds, complementing the fixed broadband in a country.
“Remarkably, several African markets, including Angola, South Africa, Nigeria, and Zimbabwe, have already started to offer 5G FWA services.
“This pivot towards FWA can be attributed to its cost-effectiveness, rapid deployment capabilities, and inherent flexibility, making it an enticing choice over traditional fixed services,” he said.
Traboulsi said FWA, particularly 5G FWA, was a potent instrument to bridge Africa’s digital divide.
He said for governments and regulators interested in bridging the digital divide in their countries it should be a priority that the frequencies needed for 5G FWA were released quickly and in an affordable way.
“Capitalising on the expansive network scale, robust device ecosystem, and innovation of 5G, FWA is optimally poised to connect the homes, enterprises and communities that are without broadband access today. By facilitating fast and dependable broadband access, FWA catalyses economic growth and empowerment, strategically positioning Africa to harness the opportunities of the digital age,” he said.
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