Peraso's $2M 60 GHz Order Anchors a Heavy Week for FWA Gear

Peraso Inc. has booked a production order worth more than $2.0 million for 60 GHz fixed wireless access systems, with shipments running from Q4 2026 through July 2027. The deal anchors a cluster of broadband access equipment announcements dated November 5, 2026, that also includes Verizon CEO Dan Schulman's target of adding 10-15 million premises capable of 1 Gbps FWA service.

Five vendors and one operator set the agenda. Movandi unveiled a 60 GHz platform built on its MV6055 transceiver. Hitron Technologies Americas added four Wi-Fi 7 products. Qualcomm detailed its Dragonwing FWA Gen 6 Elite Platform. And Verizon raised both its FWA and fiber ambitions.

Dell'Oro Group vice president Jeff Heynen framed the commercial backdrop in a blunt statement: "Fiber and Fixed Wireless Access providers continue to move aggressively to steal away valuable broadband subscribers from incumbent cable operators, which is being reflected in their equipment spending trending in completely opposite directions."

The other side of the trade is already visible. Virgin Media O2 in the UK lost 23,300 broadband customers and halted fiber upgrades.

What did Peraso and Movandi actually announce?

The Peraso order is a production commitment, not a trial or letter of intent, and it rests on Peraso's own 60 GHz technology. The band is unlicensed in many markets, letting operators deploy without buying spectrum. The physics carry trade-offs: 60 GHz signals travel short distances and struggle with obstructions, so deployments cluster around clear line-of-sight paths. Neither unit counts nor the end customer were disclosed.

Movandi attacks the same band from the silicon side. Its MV6055-based platform claims peak data rates of 5 Gbps and above, with ranges of 1 km and beyond for line-of-sight links. Aggregated research data lists support for 57.24-70.20 GHz and compatibility with 5G NR-U, WiGig, IEEE 802.11ad and 802.11ay, plus October 2026 sampling to selected customers. Treat those details as reported rather than company-confirmed.

Together the two show suppliers betting that unlicensed millimeter-wave links can fill gaps where trenching fiber costs too much or takes too long.

What does Qualcomm's platform change for CPE?

The Dragonwing FWA Gen 6 Elite Platform pairs the X105 5G Modem-RF with 5G Advanced, integrated non-terrestrial network capability, agentic AI and tri-band Wi-Fi 8 in a 5x5 radio configuration with up to 12 spatial streams. Qualcomm lists peaks of up to 14.8 Gbps downlink and 4.2 Gbps uplink, and positions the design for 3GPP Release 19. Those are laboratory ceilings; real subscribers will see far less.

Hitron added the ARIA3321, ARIA3321V, ARIA2231 and ARIA2231V Wi-Fi 7 routers and extenders, joining the existing ARIA3625 and ARIA3629 across DOCSIS, fiber and FWA networks. It also introduced the NOVA2301, a 10G XGS-PON optical network terminal for fiber deployments.

How big is Verizon's commitment?

Schulman's 10-15 million FWA premises target sits on top of an existing 40-50 million premises-passed goal. Verizon reiterated expectations of more than 32 million fiber passings by end of 2026. Schulman described the strategy as "a more sophisticated, segmented approach to FWA," implying more varied CPE tiers. The company did not disclose how the premises split across spectrum bands or suppliers.

Fiber spending also runs through consolidation. AT&T CEO John Stankey, on the Lumen acquisition, said: "It will allow us to accelerate fiber access to millions of new customer locations outside our traditional wireline operating region."

Cable is not standing still. Heynen told RCR Wireless: "We expect to see a significant increase in spending on DAA and outside plant equipment to support improved DOCSIS 3.1 and DOCSIS 4.0 deployments for cable operators in 2026."

Test gear tracks the build. Tempo launched its T5600 optical power meters and T5800 stabilized light sources on November 3, 2026. Fibocom showed the FG390 5G-Advanced FWA module with Upper 6 GHz support at NetworkX 2026 in Vienna on October 14.

One caution. No verifiable market-research figure supports a quantified broadband access equipment forecast through 2035. The confirmed announcements show direction, not destination. Watch the Peraso shipment window through July 2027 as the firmest test of whether 60 GHz moves beyond specialist deployments.