Mobile Radio Access Network (RAN)

Stefan Pongratz

Vice President

RAN is not a growth market (+1% CAGR between 2000 and 2023). However, underneath that flattish topline over time, RAN revenues fluctuate significantly as new spectrum/technologies become available. After a massive RAN surge between 2017 and 2021, RAN revenues declined sharply in 2023 and the fundamental question now is fairly straightforward – how will the slowdown in mobile data traffic impact the RAN market over the next five years? The constantly changing and increasingly demanding end-user expectations in combination with the search for growth present opportunities and challenges for incumbent RAN suppliers and new entrants.

To address ongoing changes both from a supply and demand perspective, component manufacturers, equipment vendors, service providers, and financial institutions need to answer critical business questions including:

Where are we with 5G?
What type of 5G is dominating the investment mix?
Is there a business case for 5G beyond Mobile Broadband (MBB)?
What are the use cases that will characterize the market over the next five years?
How will the architecture change?
How will adoption vary by region?
How will 5G impact the mix between small cells and macro base stations?
Will virtualized RAN impact the market over the near term?
Will Open RAN and vRAN play important roles before 6G?
How will the rise of Massive MIMO impact future growth prospects?
Will mmWave revenues comprise a significant share of the 5G capex over the next five years?
How will 5G impact the overall infrastructure market?
How is 5G impacting RAN revenue shares?
Who are the leading RAN suppliers and how are new opportunities impacting the RAN dynamics?

To answer these and other important questions, Dell’Oro Group delivers both quarterly reports and 5-year forecasts on the Mobile Radio Access Network market.