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Forecast: FWA, fibre to drive Saudi comms services market

December 10, 2025

Fixed communication services revenue in Saudi Arabia is set for a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 9.9 per cent during 2025-2030, underpinned by surging fixed broadband adoption even as traditional voice declines. The shift toward fixed wireless access (FWA) and fibre reflects accelerating digital infrastructure priorities, signaling deeper market readiness for high-capacity connectivity and stronger nationwide coverage aligned with the Kingdom’s evolving residential and enterprise demand, reports GlobalData, the data and analytics company.

GlobalData’s Saudi Arabia Total Fixed Communications Forecast (Q3 2025) reveals that fixed voice service revenue will decline at a CAGR of 9.6 per cent over the 2025-2030 period, given the significant decline in circuit-switched subscriptions as users continue to shift away from traditional voice services towards mobile/app-based voice communications.

Fixed broadband service revenue, on the other hand, is expected to increase at a strong CAGR of 12.9 per cent over the forecast period, driven by the robust growth in FWA and FTTH/B subscriber lines. This growth is further supported by the government’s Vision 2030 programme, which targets providing high-quality broadband coverage to 90 per cent of homes in densely populated urban areas and 66 per cent in other less dense urban centres by 2030.

Sarwat Zeeshan, Telecom Analyst at GlobalData, commented: “FWA accounted for more than 57 per cent share of total fixed broadband subscriptions in 2025 and will remain the leading technology through 2030, thanks to its faster deployment capabilities and its ability to reach areas where providing fibre lines is challenging. Government initiatives supporting FWA services will also help in their wider availability and adoption in the coming years.”

For instance, in June 2025, the country’s telecom regulator, CST launched the Spectrum Outlook for Commercial and Innovative Use (2025-2027) as a part of its efforts to advance wireless broadband technologies in the country. The plan is aimed at optimising the use of the radio spectrum as an enabler of digital transformation and enabling FWA for improved broadband services.

Fibre broadband remains a well-established broadband technology with fibre lines accounting for 39.2 per cent share of total fixed broadband subscriptions in 2025, thanks to its wider availability and faster internet speeds from 100 Mbps up to 1 Gbps (or more).

Zeeshan concluded: “STC will lead both fixed voice and fixed broadband segments by subscriber share through 2030. In the broadband segment, all major operators are taking a hybrid approach offering both FWA and fiber broadband services, positioning FWA for faster rural rollout and urban complement, and offering fibre in easily accessible areas with high reliability and driving gigabit speeds.”

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