The global 5G infrastructure market is estimated to witness a robust growth rate of over 50% over the period of 2019-2028. The growing demand for high-speed data with low latency and rapidly increasing use of services and data-heavy applications has bolstered the demand for 5G networks and hence the demand for 5G infrastructure by telecom operators. Demand for higher data speed is primarily being driven by the growing use of both the consumer electronics segment and business-to-business communication systems that are currently being used for data-intensive applications. Moreover, the increasing data traffic due to interconnected devices at home and businesses has again led to the demand for higher bandwidth. The rapid rise in the demand for higher bandwidth by consumers and businesses for various applications such as entertainment, virtual meetings, IoT, cloud-based services, and others has boosted the market growth.
Market Segmentation
The global 5G infrastructure market has been analyzed on the basis of communication infrastructure, core network technology, network infrastructure, operational frequency, end use, and region. Based on the communication infrastructure, the market is segmented into small cells, macro cells, radio access networks (RAN), and distributed antenna systems (DAS). Small cells are further sub-segmented into micro, femtocell, and pico cells. RAN held a substantial share in the global 5G infrastructure market. On the basis of core network technology, the market is divided into software-defined networking (SDN) and network function virtualization (NFV).
Based on the network infrastructure, the market is categorized into 5G Standalone and 5G non-Standalone. Moreover, on the basis of operational frequency, the market is segmented into Less than 6GHz and more than 6GHz. By end use, the market is segmented into IT & Telecom, Consumer Electronics, Automotive, Energy & Utilities, Healthcare, and Others (Media & Entertainment, Transportation, Logistics, etc.). Geographically, the market is analyzed into North America, Western Europe, Eastern Europe, Asia Pacific, Latin America, and Middle East & Africa.
Market Structure and Competition Landscape
The global 5G infrastructure market is characterized by the presence of various players operating in the market. Some of the prominent players that contribute significantly to the market growth include Qualcomm Inc., Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd., Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson, Nokia Corp., Vodafone Group PLC, Intel Corp., Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd., IBM Corp., Siemens AG, Cisco Systems Inc., NEC Corp., Fujitsu Ltd. among others. These players adopt various strategies in order to reinforce their market share and gain a competitive edge over other competitors in the market. Mergers & acquisitions, partnerships and collaborations, and product launches are some of the strategies followed by industry players. Some of the key developments in the global 5G infrastructure market include,
• In December 2021, Sidewalk Infrastructure Partners announced to acquire a majority stake in Dense Air, a RAN-as-a-Service company that uses shared infrastructure to extend and enhance carrier networks. The aim of this acquisition is to make connectivity more open, shared, and inclusive through public-private partnerships.
• In November 2021, Ericsson announced to acquire Vonage for US$ 6.2 billion. Vonage is a New Jersey-based communication platform as a service (CPaaS) provider. Through this acquisition, Ericsson would be offered tools for embedding communication services in 5G applications. This would further enhance Ericsson's foothold in the 5G market.