Wireless Telecommunication Carriers Are Growing At A Rapid Pace In The Global Telecoms Market

The global telecommunications market can be split into four segments – wired telecommunication carriers, wireless telecommunication carriers, satellite and telecommunication resellers, and communications hardware. Despite being the second largest segment of the telecoms market in 2018, the wireless telecommunication carriers market had the highest annual growth rate of all segments. The global wireless telecommunications carriers market grew from around $660 billion in 2014 to $811 billion in 2018 at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 5.3%. The market is expected to grow to $1,057.9 billion in 2022 at 6.9%. The fast growth of the wireless telecommunications carriers market can be attributed to the rapid growth in the mobile and smartphone penetration in the historic period, owing to the increased affordability of mobile devices and mobile services in developed and developing economies, increased disposable income among the population in emerging economies, and improved telecoms infrastructure providing better quality wireless telecommunication services. The strong growth was also supported by consumers’ preferences due to their flexibility and convenience in use which led to a shift from wired network subscription to wireless network subscription, i.e. from fixed phone line to mobile phone, and from cable TV to on-demand video services and Internet Protocol TV (IPTV).

In 2018, the wireless telecommunication carriers market held 30.1% of the total global telecoms market share, whereas the wired telecommunication carriers’ market stood at 45.2% of the total share.

Digitization is driving the use of wireless technologies and equipment. Increasing data traffic, growing popularity of in-public Wi-Fi, and emerging 4G and 5G technologies are stimulating the growth of sales of wireless equipment in developed and emerging countries. Many companies are shifting from traditional communications systems such as fixed line technologies to more advanced wireless and mobile technologies. For instance, according to a report by the US National Center for Health Statistics, 52.5% of American households used wireless technologies as of June 2017, indicating a rapid decrease in wired technologies’ usage.

An urgent priority for wireless network service providers is to meet environmental challenges. A rapid increase in energy consumption in wireless networks has been recognized as a major threat for environmental protection and sustainable development. Due to access to high-speed internet provided by next generation wireless networks and increased smartphone usage, the requirement for global access to data has risen sharply, triggering a dramatic expansion of network infrastructures and escalating energy demand. To meet these challenges, green evolution has become a necessity for wireless network service providers.