2023 in review: FWA in growth mode

5G proponents have long touted the capabilities of the networking technology, including its ability to funnel huge amounts of data through speedy connections. But the clearest example of 5G's speed and capacity boost arrived in the US not through smartphones, but via fixed wireless access (FWA) services.

T-Mobile and Verizon have embarked on major FWA rollouts, offering stationary 5G Internet connections to millions of homes and offices around the country in a direct challenge to digital subscriber line (DSL), cable and fiber providers.

Their results have been impressive. For example, according to Leichtman Research Group, fixed wireless has accounted for 101% of the industry's collective 3.5 million net broadband customer additions during the past year.

Here are some of the highlights in the FWA sector from 2023: