Massive MIMO - Global Market Trajectory & Analytics

Massive MIMO Gears Up for a $21.9 Billion Opportunity as the World Awaits 5G Rollout

The global market for Massive MIMO is projected to reach US$21.9 billion by the year 2027, trailing a post COVID-19 CAGR of 44.8% over the analysis period 2020 through 2027. 5G will enable a new wave of digital innovation and capabilities that will push up the technology's contribution to global GDP. An entire cluster of powerful digital technologies are awaiting the launch of 5G like IoT, AI, AR, edge computing, smart cities & autonomous vehicles. Based on OFDM (Orthogonal frequency-division multiplexing), 5G comes with the power of speeds averaging to 20 Gigabits-per-second (Gbps) peak data rates. A vital technology for enabling better 5G throughput, delivery & spectrum efficiency, Massive MIMO is expected to witness robust revenue growth through 2027. Massive MIMO is slated to garner significant attention in the 5G era owing to its numerous benefits. The multiple-antenna technology represents advanced version of standard MIMO that uses up to 8 x 8 antennas. Ongoing research efforts are focusing on pushing antenna count to 100 or more using GHz frequencies and antennas with small apertures. Massive MIMO holds potential to transform wireless communications by improving data rates and link reliability while reducing error rates and costs. In addition to improving spectrum efficiency by leveraging spatial domain, massive MIMO introduces more antennas to allow scalable use of low-cost, low-power components.

Massive MIMO is a promising option for 5G that uses higher radio spectrums in comparison to 2G/3G/4G, such as centimeter and millimeter waves. Massive MIMO is an attractive option over other technologies due to its ability to extend coverage and capacity. The technology is viable at higher frequencies intended for 5G networks. Massive MIMO allows 5G operators to achieve differentiation from competitors by offering superior services and enhanced user experience. Sprint, in association with Nokia, successfully demonstrated massive MIMO that resulted in multi-GB speed gains over standard LTE networks. Sprint used an array of 128 antennas in the 64-transmit & 64-receive configuration. The feat can be attributed to availability of sufficient spectrum and computing power. The company targeted deployment of the technology using its 2.5 GHz spectrum that offers superior coverage and quality for mobile applications. Sprint, in association with Samsung, is making efforts to install numerous antenna elements on each cell site across specific parts in the US for introducing massive MIMO and leveraging the 2.5GHz spectrum for 5G. The approach enabled Sprint to achieve notable gains in cell edge performance and channel capacity. Massive MIMO is anticipated to help operators in achieving peak speeds of over gigabit per second with fewer channels. Massive MIMO can considerably improve spectral efficiency while reducing radiated output power. In below 6 GHz frequency bands, massive MIMO technology is found to be a suitable technique for enable smooth transition from LTE to pre-5G, also termed as 4.5G. on the other hand, in high frequency bands, such as in millimeter-wave transmission, the use of multiple antennas in massive MIMO systems can be solution to address the issue of high propagation losses. Massive MIMO, due to the large array gains, is also considered to be a suitable technology for improving wireless network coverage. Further, massive MIMO systems can be considered as suitable for green communications, as radiated power from terminals and base stations can be scaled down.

The 64T64R antennas denote the largest market by antenna type, and are also expected to provide the largest growth opportunity in future. TDD spectrum accounts for the largest share by spectral technology, owing to the flexibility TDD networks offer in optimizing the network. Time Division Duplex (TDD) and Frequency Division Duplex (FDD) are spectrum usage technologies that are used in mobile as well as fixed wireless broadband links. These links are important for transmission in both the directions simultaneously for enabling data to flow in downlink and uplink simultaneously without causing any interruptions. FDD requires two separate frequency bands. Guard band is required to ensure separation of transmission and receiving channels, thus ensuring clear and uninterrupted transmission. With FDD, continuous transmission as well as high performance are ensured. For the UL/DL capacity, frequency allocated is predetermined on the based on the system to ensure it is same in both directions. TDD systems require a single frequency band for transmission and receiving purposes. The system shares same band and also assigns alternative time slot for receiving and transmitting operations. Time slots are allocated dynamically and vary based on network requirements. A guard period is required to prevent collision of UL/DL transmissions.

Select Competitors (Total 35 Featured):

• China United Network Communications Group Co., Ltd.
• Ericsson
• Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd.
• Nokia Corporation
• Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.
• Xilinx, Inc.
• ZTE Corporation