The Spotlight Turns to Small Cells in the "Winter of 5G"

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May 07, 2024, 08:33 ET

High-power small cells, some with 16T16R massive MIMO, are playing a prominent role in 5G densification

CAMPBELL, Calif., May 7, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Mobile Experts released a new forecast today, predicting a steadier market for small cells amid the "boom and bust" RAN market. After the global supply disruption and subsequent inventory correction, market visibility has become more clear, with traditional factors like data traffic growth driving network investments. The new forecast includes growth in multiple areas, including indoor and outdoor radios for telecom carriers, as well as enterprise small cells for a variety of private cellular use cases.

The Spotlight Turns to Small Cells in the “Winter of 5G”

At a strategic level, Mobile Experts points out that the 5G investment cycle is turning to small cells, particularly high-power units to support large 5G carrier bandwidths, in leading markets where the initial wave of 5G Macro RAN deployments in large metros are now complete, and for 4G/5G upgrades in rural and developing markets. Moreover, as operators look to monetize 5G through new features in 5G Advanced, FWA, and private networks, Mobile Experts notes that expanding 5G coverage and capacity via small cells will become necessary.

"The enterprise segment represents the highest growth sector in Small Cells," commented Kyung Mun, Principal Analyst at Mobile Experts. "Carrier spending will increase moderately, but we are expecting solid growth in small cells funded by private enterprises."

This new report, Small Cells 2024, includes a five-year outlook for femtocells, picocells, microcells, and "mini-macro" small cells in a wide variety of applications, and with quantity, revenue, and market share info for each segment. More than 60 charts and illustrations outline the technical details such as MIMO configurations, multi-band operation, and support for LAA/Wi-Fi/CBRS.

One interesting new development in the market involves the use of massive MIMO in a small cell environment, with 16 antennas in a MIMO array to boost the capacity of the high-power small cell. Through interviews with operators and OEMs, Mobile Experts has been able to identify some of the key success factors in making these new products work well.

More than 14 different suppliers are highlighted in the detailed market share analysis, and insightful analysis of each product type illustrates the reasons that some suppliers are dominating over others.

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