March 19, 2025
Fixed wireless access (FWA) is bringing broadband to users in both developed and developing markets but profitability depends on cost effective, differentiated CPE, writes Vladimir Rakic, the R&D Director for EU at Ikotek.
4G is being used to connect vast, previously unserved populations in remote and developing markets while 5G, where available, is being rolled out in developed markets to serve users where no fibre or cable exists. 4G offerings are easily able to support streaming video, while 5G is being utilized in mature markets with theoretical capability to deliver speeds significantly exceeding 1Gbps.
These technologies provide alternatives to costly fibre roll-out, which some markets cannot justify and open the potential to connect the unconnected - often for the first time. The wireless network offers good performance at an affordable cost, but FWA business models are dependent on being able to provide customer premise equipment (CPE) at a cost users can sustain.
CPE must be able to meet performance criteria but remain affordable, whether for high-end consumers in Japan or for first time internet users in sub-Saharan Africa. Achieving acceptable equipment cost is simpler in markets such as North America where GDP per capita is high and users are familiar with costs from cable TV, fibre or DSL connections but costs are less easy to justify in markets that have no heritage of internet connectivity. FWA hubs, routers and base stations must therefore be able to be produced in volume to drive economies of scale and result in affordable FWA offerings from service providers.
Optimize with an ODM
FWA hardware vendors and service providers are increasingly turning to original design manufacturer (ODM) services to ensure they can personalize their offerings and create bespoke FWA CPE and other devices in the volumes they need and at the price points markets will accept. ODMs make it possible for a company to get a product to market without having to completely design the hardware and without huge investment in a development team or production facilities. The ODM supplies manufacturing capacity but the original equipment manufacturer (OEM) as the company that created the specification retains ownership of the design.
Differentiation is assured because the ODM does not offer the product directly to the market with its own brand. Additional benefits that OEMs receive by collaborating with an ODM include short time to market with optimized design, development and production costs.
The ability to use ODM capabilities to fully customize FWA devices allows service providers to fine tune their hardware specifications, balancing cost with features and accessing the economies of scale and sector expertise of an ODM. Functions such as design, engineering, power consumption and signal reception and processing can all be optimized by skilled ODM professionals, taking away delays and streamlining processes such as testing and certification.
Differentiate by design
Ikotek has been designing FWA devices for several years, enabling wireless 5G and LTE connectivity for a new generation of connected users. The company provides a one-stop-shop for device design, manufacturing and certification delivering high quality products and services to reduce complexity, speed up time-to-market, eliminate risk and reduce costs. With more than 400 dedicated R&D employees, Ikotek is headquartered in San Diego, USA and has labs located in North America, Europe and Asia which sets it apart from the rest of the ODM market.
Ikotek’s FWA products include 5G FWA indoor CPE that supports Wi-Fi6 and Wi-Fi7 as well as outdoor units that offer directional and omnidirectional antennas. In addition, Ikotek offers Mi-Fi, 5G connectivity devices and 5G routers alongside Mi-Fi and Wi-Fi routers. Products are rigorously tested in Ikotek’s anechoic chambers in its R&D centres, which are equipped with Rohde & Schwarz and Keysight equipment.
By selecting an ODM instead of simply selecting existing products that don’t necessarily meet all their needs, FWA service providers can find that perfect balance between cost, features and performance and create differentiating CPE that truly sets them apart from their competition.
To learn more about how the ODM approach can deliver customized, differentiated FWA CPE for your deployment, read the Ikotek whitepaper here.
