Multi-vendor SON platform market to reach $8.9 bn by 2027

The 5G Capacity and Coverage Optimization Market: Smart Antennas, Distributed Antenna Systems, Self-Organizing Networks, Small Cells and Carrier WiFi 2022 – 2027, according to Research and Markets.

Research findings:

• Global multi-vendor SON platform market will reach $8.9 billion by 2027
• DAS market associated with 5G smart antennas will reach $7.32 billion by 2027
• Neutral hosts and private networks will be the fastest growing market opportunities
• Global small cell will reach $6.1 billion by 2027, driven by outdoor densification and indoor penetration solutions
• Global carrier WiFi will reach $4.8 billion by 2027 with Asia Pac leading followed by North America and Europe, driven in part by WiFi6 upgrades
• Increasing demand for enhanced mobile broadband capacity and coverage will continue to play a substantial role in carrier WiFi and small cell market’s growth.

5G will bring about fundamental structural economic changes, such as significantly lower broadband pricing as a whole, and also much greater flexibility for enterprise, industrial, and government market segments in terms of how they connect public to private networks.

A Heterogeneous Network (HetNet) that is based on a combination of cellular small cells, macro cells and carrier Wi-Fi is expected to play a pivotal role in addressing the capacity needs for such a traffic surge in the mobile networks. HetNets are important drivers for the evolution of LTE and critical for 5G networks, which rely upon a greater number of shorter-range radio units for continuous communications.

Driven by the growing surge for mobile broadband, carriers worldwide are investing in WiFi and small cells as part of HetNet infrastructure to expand network capacity and coverage. Not only do WiFi and small cell deployments minimize network planning, redesign and real estate costs, they also allow carriers to avoid or minimize new frequency allocation costs.

The associated savings in both capital expenditures and operational expenses, combined with higher throughput rates, make WiFi and small cells a necessity for mobile network operators worldwide. We expect the carrier WiFi and small cells infrastructure market will grow at a brisk rate over the next ten years.

Smart antennas will improve 5G coverage and optimize capacity by focusing RF signals where they are needed the most. In addition, smart antennas enhance 5G application and service mobility by facilitating a more continuous connection, which may become particularly useful at 5G coverage seams. Otherwise, a 5G enabled user experience may degrade as hand-over from 5G to LTE occurs.

DAS represents a network of spatially separated antenna nodes, connected to a common source via a transport medium that provides wireless service within a geographic area or structure. DAS leverages Multiple Input Multiple Output (MIMO) technology, which allows networks to take advantage of multiple signals as a means of optimizing wireless communications.

A key driver for improving OSS for LTE and 5G systems, the Self Organizing Network (SON) has been introduced as part of the network framework.

CT Bureau