SON (Self-Organizing Network) technology minimizes the lifecycle cost of running a mobile network by eliminating manual configuration of network elements at the time of deployment right through to dynamic optimization and troubleshooting during operation. Besides improving network performance and customer experience, SON can significantly reduce the cost of mobile operator services, improving the OpEx-to-revenue ratio and deferring avoidable CapEx.

Early adopters of SON have already witnessed a multitude of benefits in the form of accelerated 5G NR and LTE RAN (Radio Access Network) rollout times, simplified network upgrades, fewer dropped calls, improved call setup success rates, higher end user throughput, alleviation of congestion during special events, increased subscriber satisfaction and loyalty, operational efficiencies such as energy and cost savings, and freeing up radio engineers from repetitive manual tasks.

Although SON was originally developed as an operational approach to streamline and automate cellular RAN deployment and optimization, mobile operators and vendors are increasingly focusing on integrating new capabilities such as self-protection against digital security threats and self-learning through AI (Artificial Intelligence) techniques, as well as extending the scope of SON beyond the RAN to include both mobile core and transport network segments – which will be critical to address 5G requirements such as end-to-end network slicing.

In addition, with the cellular industry’s ongoing shift towards open interfaces, virtualization and software-driven networking, the SON ecosystem is progressively transitioning from the traditional D-SON (Distributed SON) and C-SON (Centralized SON) approach to open standards-based components supporting RAN programmability for advanced automation and intelligent control.

The surging popularity of innovative Open RAN and vRAN (Virtualized RAN) architectures has reignited the traditionally niche and proprietary product-driven SON market with a host of open standards-compliant RIC (RAN Intelligent Controller), xApp and rApp offerings, which are capable of supporting both near real-time D-SON and non real-time C-SON capabilities for RAN automation and optimization needs.

This report estimates that global spending on RIC platforms, xApps and rApps will reach $120 Million in 2023 as initial implementations move from field trials to production-grade deployments. With commercial maturity, the submarket is further expected to quintuple to nearly $600 Million by the end of 2025. Annual investments in the wider SON market – which includes licensing of embedded D-SON features, third party C-SON functions and associated OSS platforms, in-house SON capabilities internally developed by mobile operators, and SON-related professional services across the RAN, mobile core and transport domains – are expected to grow at a CAGR of approximately 7% during the same period.

The “SON (Self-Organizing Networks) in the 5G & Open RAN Era: 2022 – 2030 – Opportunities, Challenges, Strategies & Forecasts” report presents a detailed assessment of the SON market, including the value chain, market drivers, barriers to uptake, enabling technologies, functional areas, use cases, key trends, future roadmap, standardization, case studies, ecosystem player profiles and strategies. The report also provides global and regional market size forecasts for both SON and conventional mobile network optimization from 2022 till 2030, including submarket projections for three network segments, six SON architecture categories, four access technologies and five regional submarkets.

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 SON
– Value chain and ecosystem structure
– Market drivers and challenges
– SON technology, architecture and functional areas
– D-SON (Distributed SON), C-SON (Centralized SON), H-SON (Hybrid SON), RIC (RAN Intelligent Controller), xApps and rApps
– Review of over 40 SON use cases across the RAN, core and transport domains, ranging from ANR (Automatic Neighbor Relations) and rapid equipment configuration to advanced traffic steering, QoE-based optimization and automated anomaly detection
– Key trends in next-generation 5G SON implementations, including Open RAN and vRAN (Virtualized RAN) architectures, dynamic spectrum management, network slicing, edge computing, Big Data, advanced analytics, AI (Artificial Intelligence)/ML (Machine Learning) and zero-touch automation
– Case studies of 20 commercial-scale SON deployments and examination of ongoing projects covering both traditional D-SON/C-SON and RIC-x/rApp approaches
– Future roadmap for the SON market
– Standardization, regulatory and collaborative initiatives
– Profiles and strategies of more than 230 ecosystem players
– Strategic recommendations for SON solution providers and mobile operators
– Market analysis and forecasts from 2022 till 2030

Forecast Segmentation

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

SON & Mobile Network Optimization
– SON
– Conventional Mobile Network Planning & Optimization

SON Network Segment Submarkets
– RAN (Radio Access Network)
– Mobile Core
– Transport (Fronthaul, Midhaul & Backhaul)

RAN Segment SON Architecture Submarkets
– Traditional D-SON & C-SON
○ Embedded D-SON (Distributed SON) Features
○ Third Party C-SON (Centralized SON) & OSS Platforms
– Open RAN RIC, xApps & rApps
○ RIC (RAN Intelligent Controller) Platforms
○ Near Real-Time xApps
○ Non Real-Time rApps
– Mobile Operators’ In-House SON Tools & Systems

SON Access Network Technology Submarkets
– 2G & 3G
– LTE
– 5G NR
– Wi-Fi & Others

Regional Markets
– North America
– Asia Pacific
– Europe
– Middle East & Africa
– Latin & Central America

Key Questions Answered

The report provides answers to the following key questions:
– How big is the SON opportunity?
– What trends, drivers and challenges are influencing its growth?
– What will the market size be in 2025, and at what rate will it grow?
– Which submarkets and regions will see the highest percentage of growth?
– How do SON investments compare with spending on conventional mobile network optimization?
– What are the practical, quantifiable benefits of SON – based on live, commercial deployments?
– How can mobile operators capitalize on SON to ensure optimal network performance, improve customer experience, reduce costs, and drive revenue growth?
– What is the status of D-SON and C-SON adoption worldwide?
– When will open standards-based RIC platforms, xApps and rApps replace the traditional SON approach?
– What are the prospects of AI/ML-driven automation in the SON market?
– What opportunities exist for SON capabilities in the mobile core and transport network domains?
– How can SON ease the deployment of private 4G/5G networks for enterprises and vertical industries?
– In what way will SON facilitate network slicing and other advanced 5G capabilities?
– How does SON impact mobile network optimization engineers?
– Who are the key ecosystem players, and what are their strategies?
– What strategies should SON solution providers and mobile operators adopt to remain competitive?

Key Findings

The report has the following key findings:
– The surging popularity of innovative Open RAN and vRAN (Virtualized RAN) architectures has reignited the traditionally niche and proprietary product-driven SON market with a host of open standards-compliant RIC (RAN Intelligent Controller), xApp and rApp offerings, which are capable of supporting both near real-time D-SON and non real-time C-SON capabilities for RAN automation and optimization needs.
– The report estimates that global spending on RIC platforms, xApps and rApps will reach $120 Million in 2023 as initial implementations move from field trials to production-grade deployments. With commercial maturity, the submarket is further expected to quintuple to nearly $600 Million by the end of 2025.
– Annual investments in the wider SON market – which includes licensing of embedded D-SON features, third party C-SON functions and associated OSS platforms, in-house SON capabilities internally developed by mobile operators, and SON-related professional services across the RAN, mobile core and transport domains – are expected to grow at a CAGR of approximately 7% during the same period.
– The third party SON vendor ecosystem is exhibiting signs of consolidation, with several prominent M&A deals such as Qualcomm’s recent acquisition of C-SON specialist Cellwize – in a bid to strengthen its 5G RAN infrastructure offerings, Elisa Automate’s merger with Polystar to form Elisa Polystar, and HCL’s acquisition of Cisco’s SON technology business.
– However, on the other hand, newer suppliers are also beginning to emerge – extending from VMware, Juniper Networks and other RIC platform providers to x/rApp specialists such as Cohere Technologies, DeepSig, Groundhog Technologies, Subex, B-Yond, Net AI and RIMEDO Labs.
– SON capabilities are playing a pivotal role in the ongoing proliferation of private 4G/5G networks, as evident from a growing number of cross-sector partnerships. For example, private wireless service provider Betacom is collaborating with Qualcomm to accelerate enterprise adoption of private 5G networks by  combining the former’s 5GaaS (5G-as-a-Service) offering with the latter’s enablement ecosystem, including the Cellwize RAN automation and management platform. Similarly, Germany-based systems integrator Opticoms has entered into a partnership with SON specialist Innovile to automate and optimize Open RAN standards-compliant private 5G networks.
– Over the last two years, with the steep rise of mobile data consumption in residential areas during the COVID-19 pandemic-imposed lockdowns, mobile operators – despite coping relatively well – have recognized the importance of a more dynamic and automated approach to the optimization of network assets in order to provide a consistent and seamless user experience.
– The 2020-2022 period saw large-scale C-SON deployments by several operators, including but not limited to Verizon, EE (BT Group), Orange, Telefónica, Turkcell, beCloud (Belarusian Cloud Technologies), VEON, Ooredoo, Zain, BTC (Botswana Telecommunications Corporation), LTT (Libya Telecom & Technology), Telstra, Singtel, Telkomsel, Globe Telecom, Smart Communications (PLDT), and Telecom Argentina.

The post SON (Self-Organizing Networks) in the 5G & Open RAN Era: 2022 – 2030 – Opportunities, Challenges, Strategies & Forecasts first appeared on CRI Report.

Service providers – both mobile and fixed-line – have already begun making significant investments in SDN and NFV across a number of use cases including but not limited to uCPE/vCPE, SD-WAN, vEPC, vIMS, Cloud RAN and vCDN. SNS Research estimates that service provider SDN and NFV investments will grow at a CAGR of approximately 45% between 2017 and 2020, eventually accounting for nearly $22 Billion in revenue by the end of 2020.

The “SDN, NFV & Network Virtualization Ecosystem: 2017 – 2030 – Opportunities, Challenges, Strategies & Forecasts” report presents an in-depth assessment of the SDN, NFV and network virtualization ecosystem including enabling technologies, key trends, market drivers, challenges, use cases, deployment case studies, regulatory landscape, standardization, opportunities, future roadmap, value chain, ecosystem player profiles and strategies. The report also presents market size forecasts from 2017 till 2030. The forecasts are segmented for 10 submarkets, 2 user base categories, 9 functional areas, 6 regions and 34 countries.

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:
– SDN, NFV and network virtualization ecosystem
– Market drivers and barriers
– Enabling technologies, protocols, architecture and key trends
– SDN and NFV use cases across service provider, data center and enterprise networks
– Commercial SDN and NFV deployments – including 10 comprehensive case studies
– Review of key functional areas including uCPE/vCPE, SD-WAN, data center SDN, vEPC, vIMS, Cloud RAN and vCDN
– Assessment of CapEx savings potential of service provider SDN and NFV investments
– Management and orchestration platforms for software-centric networks
– Standardization, regulatory and collaborative initiatives
– Industry roadmap and value chain
– Profiles and strategies of over 270 ecosystem players including SDN/NFV specialists
– Strategic recommendations for enabling technology providers, network infrastructure vendors, IT giants, pure-play SDN/NFV specialists, enterprises, data center operators and service providers
– Market analysis and forecasts from 2017 till 2030

Forecast Segmentation
Market forecasts are provided for each of the following submarkets, user base and functional area categories:
Submarkets
– SDN/SD-WAN Hardware & Software
– NFV Hardware & Software
– Other Network Virtualization Software

User Base Categories
– Service Providers
– Enterprises & Data Centers

SDN/SD-WAN Submarkets
– SDN-Enabled Switches, Routers & Other Appliances
– SDN Controller Software
– SDN Orchestration Software
– SDN Network Applications
– SD-WAN Appliances
– SD-WAN Control & Overlay Software

NFV Submarkets
– NFVI (NFV Infrastructure)
– NFV MANO (Management & Orchestration) Software
– VNF (Virtualized Network Function) Software

Service Provider Functional Area Categories
– CDN (Content Delivery Network)
– CPE (Customer Premises Equipment)
– Data Center
– Fixed Access Network
– IMS & VoLTE
– Mobile Core
– Policy Control
– RAN (Radio Access Network)
– Transport Network
– Other Areas

The following regional and country markets are also covered:
Regional Markets
– Asia Pacific
– Eastern Europe
– Latin & Central America
– Middle East & Africa
– North America
– Western Europe

Country Markets
– Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Israel, Italy, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, Norway, Pakistan, Philippines, Poland, Qatar, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Taiwan, Thailand, UAE, UK, USA

Key Questions Answered
The report provides answers to the following key questions:
– How big is the SDN, NFV and network virtualization opportunity?
– What trends, challenges and barriers are influencing its growth?
– How is the ecosystem evolving by segment and region?
– What will the market size be in 2020 and at what rate will it grow?
– Which regions, submarkets and countries will see the highest percentage of growth?
– What is the status of SDN and NFV deployments across service provider, data center and enterprise networks?
– How big is the opportunity for service provider and cloud managed SD-WAN services?
– How are service provider-led initiatives driving SDN and NFV investments?
– How does regulation impact the adoption of software-centric networks?
– What level of CapEx savings can SDN and NFV facilitate for service providers?
– Do SDN and NFV pose a threat to traditional network infrastructure vendors?
– Who are the key market players and what are their strategies?
– What strategies should enabling technology providers, network infrastructure vendors, SDN/NFV specialists, service providers and other ecosystem players adopt to remain competitive?

Key Findings
The report has the following key findings:
– SNS Research estimates that service provider SDN and NFV investments will grow at a CAGR of approximately 45% between 2017 and 2020, eventually accounting for nearly $22 Billion in revenue by the end of 2020.
– Spearheaded by internet giants, data center operators and large enterprises, the adoption of software-centric networking is also continuing to grow in the enterprise and data center segment. SNS Research estimates that SDN and network virtualization investments in this segment accounted for $12 Billion in 2017 alone.
– New market players are beginning to emerge as service providers accelerate their transition to software-centric networks. For example, with their early wins in NFV-compliant mobile core and IMS platforms, companies such as Mavenir Systems and Affirmed Networks have emerged as direct competitors to established wireless network infrastructure giants.
– With the emergence of initiatives such as the Linux Foundation’s ONAP (Open Network Automation Platform), ETSI’s OSM (Open-Source MANO) and SK Telecom’s T-MANO, solutions are beginning to be commercialized that can perform integrated management and orchestration of VNFs from multiple vendors.

The post The SDN, NFV & Network Virtualization Ecosystem: 2017 – 2030 – Opportunities, Challenges, Strategies & Forecasts first appeared on CRI Report.

Driven by the promise of TCO (Total Cost of Ownership) reduction, mobile operators are aggressively jumping on the NFV and SDN bandwagon, targeting deployments across a multitude of areas. SNS Telecom & IT estimates that NFV and SDN investments in service provider networks – both mobile and fixed-line – will account for nearly $22 Billion by the end of 2020. Approximately 40% of these investments will be directed towards the mobile core, IMS/VoLTE and RAN segments of mobile operator networks.

Spanning over 2,000 pages, the “NFV, SDN & Wireless Network Infrastructure Market: 2017 – 2030 – Opportunities, Challenges, Strategies and Forecasts” report package encompasses three comprehensive reports covering covering NFV, SDN, conventional 2G, 3G, 4G & 5G wireless network infrastructure, and HetNet (Heterogeneous Network) infrastructure:
– The SDN, NFV & Network Virtualization Ecosystem: 2017 – 2030 – Opportunities, Challenges, Strategies & Forecasts
– The Wireless Network Infrastructure Ecosystem: 2017 – 2030 – Macrocell RAN, Small Cells, C-RAN, RRH, DAS, Carrier Wi-Fi, Mobile Core, Backhaul & Fronthaul
– The HetNet Ecosystem (Small Cells, Carrier Wi-Fi, C-RAN & DAS): 2017 – 2030 – Opportunities, Challenges, Strategies & Forecasts

This report package provides an in-depth assessment of NFV, SDN, network virtualization, 2G, 3G, 4G & 5G wireless network infrastructure and HetNet gear. Besides analyzing enabling technologies, key trends, market drivers, challenges, use cases, mobile operator case studies, regional CapEx commitments, regulatory landscape, standardization, opportunities, future roadmap, value chain, ecosystem player profiles and strategies, the report package also presents revenue and unit shipment forecasts for multiple submarkets including:

Conventional 2G, 3G, 4G & 5G Wireless Network Infrastructure
– Standalone Macrocell RAN
– Mobile Core
– Macrocell Backhaul

HetNet Infrastructure
– Small Cells
– Small Cell Backhaul
– Carrier Wi-Fi
– C-RAN (Centralized RAN)
– C-RAN Fronthaul
– DAS (Distributed Antenna Systems)

NFV
– NFVI (NFV Infrastructure)
– NFV MANO (Management & Orchestration) Software
– VNF (Virtualized Network Function) Software

SDN
– SDN-Enabled Switches, Routers & Other Appliances
– SDN Controller Software
– SDN Orchestration Software
– SDN Network Applications
– SD-WAN Appliances
– SD-WAN Control & Overlay Software

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

Topics Covered:
The report package covers the following topics:

Wireless Network Infrastructure Topics
– 2G (GSM and CDMA) technology and market trends
– 3G (W-CDMA/HSPA, TD-SCDMA and CDMA-2000) technology and market trends
– 4G (LTE, LTE-Advanced, LTE-Advanced Pro and WiMAX) technology and market trends
– 5G (IMT-2020) technology and market trends
– Mobile core technology and market trends
– Mobile transport (backhaul and fronthaul) technology and market trends
– HetNet (carrier Wi-Fi, small cell, C-RAN and DAS) technology and market trends
– Analysis of key trends such as NFV, Cloud RAN, enterprise RAN, millimeter wave radio access, unlicensed and shared access small cells, neutral hosting, VoLTE, LTE Broadcast and network slicing
– Market drivers for wireless network infrastructure investments
– Challenges and barriers to the market
– Profiles and strategies of over 550 wireless network infrastructure vendors
– Global and regional market analysis and forecasts
– SWOT analysis of the wireless network infrastructure market

NFV & SDN Topics
– SDN, NFV and network virtualization ecosystem
– Market drivers and barriers
– Enabling technologies, protocols, architecture and key trends
– SDN and NFV use cases across service provider, data center and enterprise networks
– Commercial SDN and NFV deployments – including 10 comprehensive case studies
– Review of key functional areas including uCPE/vCPE, SD-WAN, data center SDN, vEPC, vIMS, Cloud RAN and vCDN
– Assessment of CapEx savings potential of service provider SDN and NFV investments
– Management and orchestration platforms for software-centric networks
– Standardization, regulatory and collaborative initiatives
– Industry roadmap and value chain
– Profiles and strategies of over 270 ecosystem players including SDN/NFV specialists
– Strategic recommendations for enabling technology providers, network infrastructure vendors, IT giants, pure-play SDN/NFV specialists, enterprises, data center operators and service providers
– Global and regional market analysis and forecasts

Key Questions Answered:
The report package provides answers to the following key questions:
– How big is the 2G, 3G, 4G and 5G wireless network infrastructure opportunity?
– How will LTE, LTE-Advanced, LTE-Advanced Pro and 5G deployments proceed, and how long will 2G/3G technologies coexist with LTE and 5G networks?
– What is the opportunity for mobile transport – backhaul and fronthaul – networking gear?
– How will the market shape for small cell, C-RAN, carrier Wi-Fi and DAS deployments?
– How big is the SDN, NFV and network virtualization opportunity?
– What is the status of SDN and NFV deployments across service provider, data center and enterprise networks?
– How big is the opportunity for mobile operator use cases, including virtualized mobile core and Cloud RAN?
– How are service provider-led initiatives driving SDN and NFV investments?
– How does regulation impact the adoption of software-centric networks?
– What level of CapEx savings can SDN and NFV facilitate for service providers?
– Do SDN and NFV pose a threat to traditional network infrastructure vendors?
– Who are the key market players and what are their strategies?
– What strategies should enabling technology providers, network infrastructure vendors, SDN/NFV specialists, mobile operators and other ecosystem players adopt to remain competitive?

The post The NFV, SDN & Wireless Network Infrastructure Market: 2017 – 2030 – Opportunities, Challenges, Strategies and Forecasts first appeared on CRI Report.

In fact, many mobile operators are betting on 5G to diversify their revenue streams, as conventional voice and data service ARPUs decline globally. For example, South Korea’s KT has established a dedicated business unit for holograms, which it envisions to be a key source of revenue for its future 5G network.

At present, the 3GPP and other SDOs (Standards Development Organizations) are engaged in defining the first phase of 5G specifications. However, pre-standards 5G network rollouts are already underway, most notably in the United States and South Korea, as mobile operators rush to be the first to offer 5G services. SNS Research estimates that by the end of 2017, pre-standards 5G network investments are expected to account for over $250 Million.

Although 2020 has conventionally been regarded as the headline date for 5G commercialization, the very first standardized deployments of the technology are expected to be commercialized as early as 2019 with the 3GPP’s initial 5G specifications set to be implementation-ready by March 2018. Between 2019 and 2025, we expect the 5G network infrastructure market to aggressively grow at a CAGR of nearly 70%, eventually accounting for $28 Billion in annual spending by the end of 2025. These infrastructure investments will be complemented by annual shipments of up to 520 Million 5G-capable devices.

The “5G Wireless Ecosystem: 2017 – 2030 – Technologies, Applications, Verticals, Strategies & Forecasts” report presents an in-depth assessment of the emerging 5G ecosystem including key market drivers, challenges, enabling technologies, usage scenarios, vertical market applications, mobile operator deployment commitments, case studies, spectrum availability/allocation, standardization, research initiatives and vendor strategies. The report also presents forecasts for 5G investments and operator services.
The report comes with an associated Excel datasheet suite covering quantitative data from all numeric forecasts presented in the report, as well as a 5G deployment tracking database covering over 60 global 5G trials, demos and commercial deployment commitments (as of Q1’2017).

Topics Covered
The report covers the following topics:
– 5G NR (New Radio) and NextGen (Next Generation) system architecture
– Market drivers and barriers to the adoption of 5G networks
– 5G requirements, usage scenarios, vertical markets and applications
– Key enabling technologies including air interface design, higher frequency radio access, advanced antenna systems, flexible duplex schemes, D2D (Device-to-Device) connectivity, dynamic spectrum access, self-backhauling and network slicing
– Complementary concepts including NFV, SDN, hyperscale data centers, Cloud RAN, satellite communications and aerial networking platforms
– Case studies and review of mobile operator 5G commitments
– 5G standardization, development and research initiatives
– Analysis of spectrum availability and allocation strategies for 5G networks
– Competitive assessment of vendor strategies
– Review of investments on R&D and pre-standards 5G networks
– Standardized 5G infrastructure, user equipment and operator service forecasts till 2030

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

5G R&D Investments
– New Air Interface & Millimeter Wave Radio Access
– MIMO, Beamforming & Advanced Antenna Technologies
– Spectrum Sharing, Aggregation & Interference Management
– Virtualization & Cloud RAN
– Network Slicing & Other Technologies

Pre-Standards 5G Network Investments
– Pre-Standards Base Stations
– Pre-Standards User Equipment
– Transport Networking & Other Investments

Standardized 5G Infrastructure Investments
– 5G NR (New Radio)
 Distributed Macrocell Base Stations
 Small Cells
 RRHs (Remote Radio Heads)
 C-RAN BBUs (Baseband Units)
– NextGen (Next Generation) Core Network
– Fronthaul & Backhaul Networking

Standardized 5G User Equipment Investments
– Handsets
– Tablets
– Embedded IoT Modules
– USB Dongles
– Routers

5G Operator Services
– Subscriptions
– Service Revenue

Regional Segmentation
– Asia Pacific
– Eastern Europe
– Latin & Central America
– Middle East & Africa
– North America
– Western Europe

Key Questions Answered
The report provides answers to the following key questions:
– How big is the opportunity for 5G network infrastructure, user equipment and operator services?
– What trends, challenges and barriers will influence the development and adoption of 5G?
– How will 5G drive the adoption of AR (Augmented Reality)/VR (Virtual Reality) applications such as 3D holographic telepresence and 360 degree streaming of live events?
– How have advanced antenna and chip technologies made it possible to utilize millimeter wave spectrum for mobile communications in 5G networks?
– How can non-orthogonal multiple access schemes such as RSMA (Resource Spread Multiple Access) enable 5G networks to support higher connection densities for Millions of IoT devices?
– What will be the number of 5G subscriptions in 2019 and at what rate will it grow?
– Which regions and countries will be the first to adopt 5G?
– Which frequency bands are most likely to be utilized by 5G networks?
– Who are the key 5G vendors and what are their strategies?
– Will 5G networks rely on a disaggregated RAN architecture?
– How will 5G impact the fiber industry?
– Will satellite communications and aerial networking platforms play a wider role in 5G networks?

Key Findings
The report has the following key findings:
– The Unites States and South Korea are spearheading early investments in pre-standards 5G trial networks, as mobile operators rush to be the first to offer 5G networks. SNS Research estimates that by the end of 2017, pre-standards 5G network investments are expected to account for over $250 Million.
– Following completion of the 3GPP’s first phase of 5G specifications in March 2018, SNS Research expects that early adopters across the globe will simultaneously begin commercializing 5G services in 2019.
– Between 2019 and 2025, we expect the 5G network infrastructure market to aggressively grow at a CAGR of nearly 70%, eventually accounting for $28 Billion in annual spending by the end of 2025.
– Although early 5G R&D investments have primarily targeted the radio access segment, network-slicing has recently emerged as necessary “end-to-end” capability to guarantee performance for different 5G applications which may have contrasting requirements.
– In order to support diverse usage scenarios, 5G networks are expected to utilize a variety of frequency bands ranging from established sub-6 GHz cellular bands to millimeter wave spectrum.

The post The 5G Wireless Ecosystem: 2017 – 2030 first appeared on CRI Report.

Commonly referred to as FWA, Fixed Wireless Access has emerged as one of the most predominant use cases for early 5G network rollouts. Multiple mobile operators and service providers are initially seeking to capitalize on 5G as a fixed wireless alternative to deliver last-mile connectivity – at multi-hundred Megabit and Gigabit speeds – in areas with insufficient fiber holdings.

The very first standardized deployments of 5G-based FWA are expected to be commercialized as early as 2019. Largely driven by early commercial rollouts by Verizon Communications and AT&T in the United States, 5G-based FWA subscriptions are expected to account for $1 Billion in service revenue by the end of 2019 alone. The market is further expected to grow at a CAGR of approximately 84% between 2019 and 2025, eventually accounting for more than $40 Billion.

The “5G for FWA (Fixed Wireless Access): 2017 – 2030 – Opportunities, Challenges, Strategies & Forecasts” report presents an in-depth assessment of the emerging 5G-based FWA ecosystem including key market drivers, challenges, enabling technologies, revenue potential, application scenarios, service provider deployment commitments, case studies, spectrum availability/allocation, vendor profiles and strategies. The report also presents forecasts for 5G-based FWA investments and operator services.

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:
– 5G architecture, requirements and applications
– Market drivers and barriers to the adoption of 5G
– Key enabling technologies and complementary concepts
– Business case and application scenarios for 5G-based FWA
– Analysis of spectrum availability and allocation for 5G-based FWA
– Case studies of 13 FWA deployments based on 5G and other wireless technologies
– Company profiles and strategies of 80 FWA vendors
– Strategic recommendations for vendors and service providers
– Market analysis and forecasts till 2030

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

5G Infrastructure Investments
– 5G NR (New Radio) Infrastructure
– NextGen (Next Generation) Core Network
– Fronthaul & Backhaul Networking

5G-Based FWA User Equipment Investments
– Unit Shipments
– Unit Shipment Revenue

5G-Based FWA Operator Services
– Subscriptions
– Service Revenue

Application Scenario Segmentation
– Broadband Internet
– Pay TV
– IoT & Other Applications

User Base Segmentation
– Residential
– Business

Regional Segmentation
– Asia Pacific
– Eastern Europe
– Latin & Central America
– Middle East & Africa
– North America
– Western Europe

Key Questions Answered
The report provides answers to the following key questions:
– How big is the opportunity for 5G-based FWA?
– What trends, challenges and barriers will influence the development and adoption of 5G-based FWA?
– How have advanced antenna and chip technologies made it possible to utilize millimeter wave spectrum for 5G-based FWA?
– What are the key application scenarios for 5G-based FWA?
– Can 5G-based FWA enable mobile operators to tap into the pay TV market?
– How can mobile operators leverage early deployments of 5G-based FWA to better prepare their networks for planned 5G mobile service rollouts?
– What will be the number of 5G-based FWA subscriptions in 2019 and at what rate will it grow?
– Which regions and countries will be the first to adopt 5G-based FWA?
– Which frequency bands are most likely to be utilized by 5G-based FWA deployments?
– What is the cost saving potential of 5G-based FWA for last-mile connectivity?
– Who are the key market players and what are their strategies?
– What strategies should 5G-based FWA vendors and service providers adopt to remain competitive?

Key Findings
The report has the following key findings:
– 5G-based FWA subscriptions are expected to account for $1 Billion in service revenue by the end of 2019 alone. The market is further expected to grow at a CAGR of approximately 84% between 2019 and 2025, eventually accounting for more than $40 Billion.
– SNS Research estimates that 5G-based FWA can reduce the initial cost of establishing last-mile connectivity by as much as 40% – in comparison to FTTP (Fiber-to-the-Premises). In addition, 5G can significantly accelerate rollout times by eliminating the need to lay cables as required for FTTP rollouts.
– The 28 GHz frequency band is widely preferred for early 5G-based FWA deployments, as many vendors have already developed 28 GHz-capable equipment – driven by demands for early field trials in multiple markets including the United States and South Korea.
– Millimeter wave wireless connectivity specialists are well-positioned to capitalize on the growing demand for 5G-based FWA. However, in order to compete effectively against existing mobile infrastructure giants, they will need to closely align their multi-gigabit capacity FWA solutions with 3GPP specifications.
– While many industry analysts believe that 5G-based FWA is only suitable for densely populated urban areas, a number of rural carriers – including C Spire and U.S. Cellular – are beginning to view 5G as a means to deliver last-mile broadband connectivity to underserved rural communities.

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