LTE & 5G NR-Based CBRS Networks: 2020 – 2030 – Opportunities, Challenges, Strategies & Forecasts

Description

After many years of regulatory, standardization and technical implementation activities, the United States’ dynamic, three-tiered, hierarchical framework to coordinate shared use of 150 MHz of spectrum in the 3.5 GHz CBRS (Citizens Broadband Radio Service) band has finally become a commercial reality. Although the shared spectrum arrangement is access technology neutral, the 3GPP cellular wireless ecosystem is at the forefront of CBRS adoption given the desirability of mid-band spectrum for both LTE and 5G NR network buildouts due its optimal blend of propagation characteristics and capacity.

Following authorization of FCD (Full Commercial Deployment) by the FCC (Federal Communications Commission) and completion of the recent PAL (Priority Access License) auction, LTE-based CBRS network deployments are beginning to gain considerable momentum, with thousands of operational cell sites throughout the United States to support use cases as diverse as mobile network densification, FWA (Fixed Wireless Access), neutral host infrastructure, and private cellular networks for enterprises and vertical industries. In the coming years, we also anticipate the rollout of 5G NR network equipment operating in the CBRS band, which will lay the foundations for advanced application scenarios with more demanding performance requirements in terms of throughput, latency, reliability, availability and connection density – for example, industrial IoT applications such as connected production machinery, mobile robotics, AGVs (Automated Guided Vehicles) and AR (Augmented Reality)-assisted troubleshooting.

The CBRS market remains largely unfazed by the economic disruption associated with the COVID-19 pandemic, with the exception of certain enterprise and vertical submarkets. SNS Telecom & IT estimates that annual investments in LTE and 5G NR-based CBRS RAN (Radio Access Network) infrastructure will account for more than $300 Million by the end of 2020. Complemented by an expanding selection of CBRS-equipped end user devices, the market is further expected to grow at a CAGR of approximately 52% between 2020 and 2023 to surpass $1 Billion in annual spending by 2023.

The “LTE & 5G NR-Based CBRS Networks: 2020 – 2030 – Opportunities, Challenges, Strategies & Forecasts” report presents a detailed assessment of the market for LTE and 5G NR in CBRS spectrum including the value chain, market drivers, barriers to uptake, enabling technologies, key trends, future roadmap, business models, use cases, application scenarios, standardization, regulatory landscape, case studies, ecosystem player profiles and strategies. The report also provides forecasts for LTE and 5G NR-based CBRS RAN infrastructure and terminal equipment from 2020 till 2030. The forecasts cover two air interface technologies, two cell type categories, five device form factors, seven use cases and ten vertical industries.

The report comes with an associated Excel datasheet suite covering quantitative data from all numeric forecasts presented in the report.

 

Topics Covered
The report covers the following topics:
– Introduction to LTE and 5G NR-based CBRS networks
– Value chain and ecosystem structure
– Market drivers and challenges
– Technical aspects including CBRS spectrum sharing rules, system architecture, functional elements, core network integration and security
– Key trends such as mobile network densification, LTE and 5G NR-based fixed wireless broadband rollouts, neutral host small cell infrastructure for a variety of venues, and the growing prevalence of private cellular networks to support enterprise and industrial IoT applications
– Future roadmap of LTE and 5G NR in CBRS spectrum
– Business models, use cases and application scenarios
– Standardization, regulatory and collaborative initiatives
– Case studies of LTE and 5G NR-based CBRS network deployments
– Profiles and strategies of more than 270 ecosystem players
– Strategic recommendations for LTE and 5G NR equipment suppliers, system integrators, service providers, enterprises and vertical industries
– Market analysis and forecasts from 2020 till 2030

Forecast Segmentation
Market forecasts are provided for each of the following submarkets and their subcategories:

CBRS RAN Infrastructure
Air Interface Technologies
– LTE
– 5G NR

Cell Types
– Indoor Small Cells
– Outdoor Small Cells

Use Cases
– Mobile Network Densification
– FWA (Fixed Wireless Access)
– Cable Operators & New Entrants
– Neutral Hosts
– Private Cellular Networks
○ Offices, Buildings & Corporate Campuses
○ Vertical Industries

Vertical Industries for Private Cellular Networks
– Manufacturing
– Transportation
– Utilities
– Mining
– Oil & Gas
– Healthcare
– Education
– Retail & Hospitality
– Government & Municipalities
– Other Verticals

CBRS Terminal Equipment
Air Interface Technologies
– LTE
– 5G NR

Form Factors
– Smartphones & Handheld Terminals
– Mobile & Vehicular Routers
– Fixed CPEs (Customer Premises Equipment)
– Tablets & Notebook PCs
– IoT Modules, Dongles & Others

Key Questions Answered
The report provides answers to the following key questions:
– How big is the opportunity for LTE and 5G NR-based CBRS networks?
– What trends, drivers and challenges are influencing its growth?
– What will the market size be in 2023, and at what rate will it grow?
– Which submarkets will see the highest percentage of growth?
– What are the business models, use cases and application scenarios for CBRS networks?
– How does the integration of CBRS spectrum relieve capacity constraints faced by traditional mobile operators?
– What opportunities exist for cable operators, neutral hosts, niche service providers and other new entrants?
– How will CBRS accelerate the uptake of private cellular networks for enterprises and vertical industries?
– What is the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on CBRS network buildouts?
– When will 5G NR-based CBRS network equipment begin to be deployed in large volumes?
– What are the prospects of non-3GPP technologies in CBRS spectrum?
– Who are the key ecosystem players, and what are their strategies?
– What strategies should CBRS equipment suppliers, system integrators, service providers and other stakeholders adopt to remain competitive?

Key Findings
The report has the following key findings:
– The CBRS market remains largely unfazed by the economic disruption associated with the COVID-19 pandemic, with the exception of certain enterprise and vertical submarkets. SNS Telecom & IT estimates that annual investments in LTE and 5G NR-based CBRS RAN infrastructure will account for more than $300 Million by the end of 2020.
– Complemented by an expanding selection of CBRS-equipped end user devices, the market is further expected to grow at a CAGR of approximately 52% between 2020 and 2023 to surpass $1 Billion in annual spending by 2023.
– LTE-based CBRS network deployments are beginning to gain considerable momentum, with thousands of operational cell sites throughout the United States to support use cases as diverse as mobile network densification, FWA, neutral host infrastructure, and private cellular networks for enterprises and vertical industries.
– We expect initial rollouts of 5G NR network equipment in the CBRS band to commence in 2021, paving the way for industrial IoT and other advanced application scenarios with demanding performance requirements in terms of throughput, latency, reliability, availability and connection density.