Fixed wireless access (FWA) connections in Australia are set to register a healthy compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 5.5% between 2025 and 2030, driven by the growing demand for high-speed internet services in regional and remote areas with limited fiber coverage and the emergence of FWA as an alternative to fiber broadband, forecasts GlobalData, a leading data and analytics company.

GlobalData’s Australia Fixed Communication Forecast (Q3 2025) reveals that the share of FWA in total fixed broadband connections in Australia will increase from 11.5% in 2025 to about 14% by the end of 2030.

Srikanth Vaidya, Telecom Analyst at GlobalData, says: “In Australia, FWA is emerging as a critical component to the National Broadband Network (NBN) and private carrier deployments, especially in areas where fiber rollouts are slower or cost prohibitive.”

Earlier this year, NBN and the government successfully completed their AUD750 ($471.7) million fixed wireless and satellite upgrade program to deliver faster and future-ready broadband connectivity to 800,000 homes and businesses in regional and remote areas.

The program involved integrating advanced 4G, 5G & 5G mmWave technology to expand capacity and coverage of about 2,300 fixed wireless towers using mid-band and mmWave spectrum, enabling them to deliver faster wholesale speeds across the NBN network and introduce fastest wholesale speeds offered on NBN FWA network via participating retail service providers.

The upgrade also enabled NBN to boost the speed of its Fixed Wireless Plus wholesale plan from 75Mbps to up to 100 Mbps, introduce higher-speed plans like Fixed Wireless Home Fast (200–250 Mbps) and Superfast (400 Mbps), and expand FWA to 120,000 premises that previously relied on satellite connectivity.

The evolving use cases across residential and business segments, such as smart homes, SME connectivity, Industry 4.0, remote education, and telehealth, are expected to drive FWA adoption in the country over the forecast period. For instance, Optus is offering FWA connectivity to deliver high-capacity broadband to homes and SMEs.

Vaidya concludes: “Growing demand for reliable and high-speed connectivity across the country is creating strong business case for FWA to serve as an effective complement to established fiber broadband services. Operators that offer flexible data plans targeting both residential and SME segments and deliver value-added services through FWA will be well-positioned to capture new revenue opportunities and strengthen their competitive edge in the evolving broadband market.”