The radio access network market has seen considerable growth due to a variety of factors.
• In the past few years, the radio access network market has witnessed significant expansion. The market size is projected to escalate from $21.33 billion in 2024 to $24.38 billion in 2025, with a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 14.3%.
The escalation observed in the historic period is due to increased investment in smart technologies, a rise in demand for wireless connectivity and cloud radio access networks (C-RAN), an upsurge in the adoption of mobile devices, and a surge in the utilization of distributed antenna systems (DAS).
The radio access network market is expected to maintain its strong growth trajectory in upcoming years.
• In the coming years, the radio access network market is projected to witness speedy expansion. The market is expected to enhance to a substantial $41.77 billion by the end of 2029, growing at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 14.4%.
This projected growth in the estimated period is due to higher mobile data traffic, an immense demand for high-speed internet and mobile broadband services, an upsurge in IoT, automotive, and consumer electronics. The surge in the adoption of cloud-based radio access networks also contributes significantly to this growth. Predominant trends during the forecast period include the adoption of sophisticated technologies such as 5G, improvements in radio resource management (RRM), advanced antenna technologies, and augmented security procedures in RAN.
The growth of the radio access network market is anticipated to be fuelled by the escalating mobile data traffic. Mobile data traffic, which usually involves internet browsing, app usage, and media streaming on mobile devices via cellular networks, is on the rise. Factors such as the widespread use of smartphones, increasingly popular data-heavy applications, and broader access to high-speed mobile networks are driving this increase. Radio access networks contribute to the expansion of mobile data traffic by offering enhancements to infrastructure, such as advanced base stations and antennas that offer accelerated data rates and wider network coverage, fulfilling the rising demand for data-heavy services and applications. For instance, U.S. cellular networks reportedly handled 73 trillion megabytes (MB) of data traffic in 2022, a 38% increase from the prior year, as per the Cellular Telecommunications Industry Association, a non-profit organization based in the US. Consequently, the rise in mobile data traffic is fuelling the expansion of the radio access network market.
The radio access network market covered in this report is segmented –
1) By Component: Infrastructure, Software
2) By Technology: 2G, 3G, 4G, 5G
3) By Architecture: Centralized Radio Access Network (C-RAN), Distributed Radio Access Network (D-RAN)
4) By End User: Residential, Enterprise
Subsegments:
1) By Infrastructure: Antennas, Base Stations, Small Cells, Distributed Antenna Systems (DAS), Radio Units (RU), Remote Radio Heads (RRH), Macro Cells, Fiber Optic Cables
2) By Software: RAN Virtualization Software, Network Management And Orchestration Software, RAN Automation Software, Cloud RAN (C-RAN) Software, 5G RAN Software Solutions, Radio Access Network Analytics Software, Security Software For RAN
Top-tier corporations in the radio access network market concentrate on cutting-edge technologies such as radio access network compute silicon for the purpose of enhancing network features and effectiveness. Radio access network compute silicon is a distinct hardware component engineered to carry out computing responsibilities in the framework of the radio access network. For example, in November 2023, Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson, a technology firm based in Sweden, launched RAN compute silicon created to assist demanding 5G-advanced and refined artificial intelligence (AI) algorithms. This range includes high-capacity processing units such as the RAN Processor 6672 and Radio Processor 6372, together with high-capacity, energy-saving routers such as the Router 6678 and Router 6671. Ready for Open RAN applications, these hardware products also exhibit built-in smartness for AI analytics and automation. By taking over computation-intensive tasks and promoting speedy processing within its structure, radio access network compute silicon boosts the radio access network's performance, security, and proficiency.
Major companies operating in the radio access network market are:
• Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Verizon Communications Inc.
• AT&T Inc.
• Huawei Technologies Co. Ltd.
• Cisco Systems Inc.
• Qualcomm Technologies Inc.
• Nokia Corporation
• Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson
• Cap Gemini SA
• ZTE Corporation
• CommScope Holding Company Inc.
• Juniper Networks Inc.
• Ciena Corporation
• Fujitsu Limited
• Infinera Corporation
• NEC Corporation
• Huber+Suhner AG
• Ceragon Networks Ltd.
• Aviat Networks Inc.
• Cambium Networks Corporation
• Parallel Wireless Inc.
• Airspan Networks Inc.
• Askey Computer Corp.
• Alpha Wireless Ltd.
• Baicells Technologies Co. Ltd
North America was the largest region in the radio access network market in 2024. Asia-Pacific is expected to be the fastest-growing region in the forecast period. The regions covered in the radio access network market report are Asia-Pacific, Western Europe, Eastern Europe, North America, South America, Middle East and Africa.