Comcast views FWA as a 'new overbuilder'

Comcast still sees fiber networks as its biggest competition in the long term, but a top exec acknowledged fixed wireless access (FWA) as a "near-term issue" that is taking a piece of the lower end of the market. Although the pace of FWA subscriber growth among some of the top US service providers is showing signs of slowing, T-Mobile, Verizon and AT&T still posted FWA subscriber gains in the second quarter of 2024. Comcast, meanwhile, lost 120,000 broadband subs in the period. Comcast is taking a measured response to FWA with products that hit on aspects of fixed wireless that consumers find appealing—namely, low pricing with enough speed to handle most of their day-to-day needs. Comcast is pairing that strategy with one focused on network upgrades, including an emerging DOCSIS 4.0 platform that enables symmetrical, multi-gigabit speeds across its widely-deployed hybrid fiber/coax (HFC) network.