The LTE router/gateway market will grow from approximately $804.2 million in 2018 to $1.9 billion in 2022 at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 27.4%, according to a new report from IDC. Regionally, North America will remain the largest consumer of LTE routers/gateways, but Asia/Pacific, including Japan and China, will grow the fastest over the forecast period supported by continued expansion and/or densification of macro LTE networks in the region.
"The enterprise LTE appliance market is seeing rapid uptake globally, prompting incumbent suppliers and new players to seek differentiation to demonstrate value. Some are focusing on the software layer, or wireless SD-WAN, while others are leaning on their technology heritage in addressing IoT requirements. Whatever the strategy, branch, mobile, and IoT are emerging as the three main use cases for LTE routers and gateways," said Patrick Filkins, senior research analyst, IoT and Mobile Network Infrastructure.
IDC highlights three main use cases that LTE router/gateway suppliers are moving to address:
- Branch connectivity: Products designed for stationary, onsite functionality are often integrated with LTE, WiFi, and wired functionality. In addition, solutions often incorporate enhanced security features (e.g., firewall, threat management). An overarching software-defined component, often delivered from the cloud, can be incorporated to deliver enhanced management and coordination.
- Mobile connectivity: Mobile LTE routers are often affixed to vehicles, rail systems, or other "on the move objects" that require connectivity. An emerging use case is for public safety networks, including first-responder networks, where cellular connectivity can meet the stringent demand for mission-critical communications.
- Internet of Things/M2M: These solutions, which can be gateways, often offer a base feature such as protocol conversion but may incorporate the advanced features included in branch and mobile solutions as well.
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IDC: 5G network infrastructure market to grow at 118% CAGR
The 5G network infrastructure market includes 5G RAN, 5G NG core, NFVI, routing and optical backhaul.
IDC expects 5G RAN to be the largest market sub-segment through the forecast period, in line with prior mobile generations.
In addition to 5G NR and 5G NG core, procurement patterns indicate communications service providers (SPs) will need to invest in adjacent domains, including backhaul and NFVI, to support the continued push to cloud-native, software-led architectures.
"Early 5G adopters are laying the groundwork for long-term success by investing in 5G RAN, NFVI, optical underlays, and next-generation routers and switches. Many are also in the process of experimenting with the 5G NG core. The long-term benefit of making these investments now will be when the standards-compliant SA 5G core is combined with a fully virtualized, cloud-ready RAN in the early 2020s. This development will enable many communications SPs to expand their value proposition and offer customized services across a diverse set of enterprise verticals through the use of network slicing," says Patrick Filkins, senior research analyst, IoT and Mobile Network Infrastructure.
The report, Worldwide 5G Network Infrastructure Forecast, 2018-2022 (IDC #US44392218), presents IDC's inaugural forecast for the 5G network infrastructure market. Revenue is forecast for both the 5G RAN and 5G NG Core segments and each of the three related sub-segments (NFVI, Routing Backhaul, and Optical Backhaul). The report also provides a market overview, including drivers and challenges for communications service providers and advice for technology suppliers.
