Fixed Wireless Had Monster 38% Share of Net New Account Adds in 4Q 2021

In an unprecedented occurrence, fixed wireless services provided by T-Mobile and Verizon alone represented 38 percent share of broadband net adds in the fourth quarter of 2021, according to MoffettNathanson. 

All skepticism aside, that has never happened before in the U.S. broadband market. So while we might still disagree about the size of the fixed wireless opportunity, early returns suggest 5G fixed wireless might have significant upside. 

source: LightReading, MoffettNathanson 

In fact, were it not for fixed wireless net additions, telcos would have lost market share in the fourth quarter of 2021. 

Concerns about limited bandwidth remain, but consumer adoption trends suggest those concerns are possibly overblown. At least for the moment, consumers see enough value to switch. 

About half of Verizon's fixed wireless customers are coming from commercial accounts, MoffettNathanson says. 

T-Mobile says nearly half of its fixed wireless customers represent market share gains at cable operator expense, the firm says. 

Sector	Q4 2021 Gain/Loss	Q4 2020 Gain/Loss	Year-on-Year Growth %	Total
Cable	+464,000	+899,000	+3.8%	79.43 million
Telco	-26,000	+21,000	-0.4%	33.51 million
FWA*	+302,000	+81,000	+463.9%	869,000
Satellite	-35,000	-35,000	-6.6%	1.66 million
Total Wireline	+437,000	+920,000	+2.8%	112.95 million
Total Broadband	+704,000	+966,000	+3.3%	115.48 million
* Verizon and T-Mobile only

source: LightReading, MoffettNathanson