Will fixed 5G be a broadband savior for wireless operators?

Verizon and AT&T have waffled on their timelines and business strategies for fixed 5G vs. mobile 5G. In 2018, Verizon pushed hard to be the “first” operator to launch 5G and it was going to do so by offering a fixed wireless service. The company fulfilled that goal with its prestandardized fixed 5G service, called 5G Home, that it launched in four markets in Oct 2018. However, it appears Verizon will be moving more quickly to a mobile 5G offering, while the expansion of its fixed 5G Home service may be delayed to later in 2019. 

Back in mid-2018 AT&T CFO John Stephens said that AT&T didn’t think it was cost efficient to deploy fixed 5G wireless service to residences because it would take too much fiber and too many small cells to backhaul the traffic. Now, AT&T appears to be bullish on fixed wireless as a broadband replacement service. In late Jan, CEO Randall Stephenson predicted that fixed 5G wireless will have enough broadband capacity for consumers to access streaming video services similar to what cable broadband offers today. However, he did reiterate that the company will pursue standards-based mobile 5G first.