5G NR RAN Market - Forecasts from 2023 to 2028

The 5G NR RAN market is projected to grow at a CAGR of 22.28%, reaching US$76.269 billion by 2028, from US$22.819 billion in 2022.

The emergence of several base station regulations and standards, in addition to their transition to open systems, along with developments in hardware performance, has enabled the global adoption of 5G NR RAN.

GROWTH DRIVERS

Growing 5G Deployments and Investments in NR RAN

Various governments have initiated the deployment of 5G technology. Consequently, growing investments in 5G technology are also being witnessed. For instance, in December 2022, Ericsson, a telecom equipment provider, stated that it is expanding operations and production capacity in Pune, India, with partner Jabil as it prepares for the rollout of 5G networks in the country.

Furthermore, the deployment of 5G technology is enhanced through NR RAN. A RAN, or Radio Access Network, aids in the management of resources across radio locations. It links user equipment, such as mobile phones or laptops, to the main network, providing subscriber information, location, etc. Therefore, increased investments and partnerships can also be witnessed owing to its useful nature. For example,

• In February 2022, NTT Docomo chose Qualcomm Technologies, Inc. and other firms to collaborate on the "5G Open RAN Ecosystem," intending to globalize open radio access networks (RAN) and enable flexible network deployment to accommodate different enterprises and operator demands in the 5G future.

EMERGING OPPORTUNITIES IN THE GLOBAL 5G NR RAN MARKET

MASSIVE MIMO

By technology, 5G NR RAN is divided into Massive MIMO and Non-Massive MIMO. Massive MIMO will hold a notable share during the projected period, owing to growing investments and partnerships.

• In February 2021, Qualcomm partnered with Rakuten to develop a next-generation 5G Radio Unit (RU) with Massive MIMO capabilities and distributed units (DUs). Rakuten selected Qualcomm for the worldwide deployment of O-RAN. Qualcomm® X100 5G RAN Accelerator Card and high-performance Massive MIMO Qualcomm® QRU100 5G RAN Platform will be used for deployment.
• In December 2021, NEC announced the successful demonstration of its leading Open RAN massive MIMO capabilities for the O-RAN ALLIANCE Global PlugFest 2021 at five venues hosted by leading operators and the Telecom Infra Project (TIP).

Standalone to remain the dominant deployment segment.

By deployment, NR RAN is divided into standalone and non-standalone. Standalone is among the core elements of the 5G network. Connectivity, mobility, user authentication, and other essential management functions are implemented through Standalone (SA). Due to its growing usage for expanding 5G technology globally, various market players are investing in developing their distribution networks and product portfolios. For instance,

In October 2022, India’s telecom operator Jio selected Ericsson for its 5G SA rollout. The 5G network for Jio will be built with Ericsson's energy-efficient 5G Radio Access Network (RAN) products and solutions (from the Ericsson Radio System range).

GEOGRAPHICAL PRESENCE

The global 5G NR RAN market consists of some major countries undertaking various measures to secure their 5G network across their respective nations. Some major countries include the USA, Japan, South Korea, China, and Germany. The countries have undertaken various measures, complementing the overall market growth. For instance,

• In September 2021, NEC and Fujitsu stepped up their open radio network access (RAN) play by announcing a collaboration on interoperability testing for 5G base stations that conform to specifications from the O-RAN Alliance. The initiative also falls under the remit of Japan's New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization (NEDO).
• In January 2022, Nokia and SK Telecom collaborated to deliver a new virtualized RAN network in Korea. They have completed a proof-of-concept (PoC) demonstration of Korea's world's first 5G 64TRX wireless-based Cloud Radio Access Network (vRAN).
• In December 2022, Samsung deployed 10,000 vRAN Cell Sites Across the US along with Verizon. The step has been toward achieving Verizon’s goal of deploying 20,000 vRAN sites by 2025. Samsung’s 5G vRAN solutions provide Verizon with a network that scales easily, allows for rapid upgrades, and can be flexibly managed with centralized resources.

MAJOR PLAYERS IN THE MARKET

Some leading players in the market include Fujitsu, Nokia, Samsung, and Qualcomm Technologies, among others. These firms have undertaken various business strategies such as product launches, investments, and partnerships to expand their product offerings. For instance,

• In December 2020, Fujitsu formed a partnership with KDDI. KDDI Corporation selected Fujitsu's O-RAN compatible 5G Radio Unit to construct a virtualized base station for 5G commercial services in Japan.
• In August 2021, Samsung announced its next-generation Virtualized RAN with enhanced capabilities. Its capacity will be increased by using hardware accelerators.
• In May 2022, Nokia and Red Hat announced the launch of Cloud RAN Solutions. The alliance has successfully conducted lab testing and proof of concepts (POCs). They have been working on integrating RAN components with the capabilities of the underlying container-based architecture.

MARKET SEGMENTATION

The global 5G NR RAN market has been analyzed through the following segments:

By Technology

• Massive MIMO
• Non-Massive MIMO

By Spectrum Band

• Sub-6 GHz
• mmWave

By Architecture

• Centralized RAN
• Virtual RAN
• Open RAN

By Deployment

• Standalone
• Non-Standalone

By Geography

• Americas
• United States
• Others
• Europe, the Middle East, and Africa
• Germany
• UK
• Others
• Asia Pacific
• China
• Japan
• South Korea
• Others