Private Wireless Weaker Than Expected in 2021, According to Dell’Oro Group

According to a newly published forecast report by Dell’Oro Group, the trusted source for market information about the telecommunications, networks, and data center IT industries, private wireless RAN revenues for the full-year 2021 are slightly weaker than initially projected.

“The markdown is more driven by the challenges of converting these initial trials to commercial deployments than a sign that demand is subsiding,” said Stefan Pongratz, Vice President at Dell’Oro Group. “In fact, a string of indicators suggest private wireless activity is firming up not just in China but also in other regions,” continued Pongratz.

Additional highlights from the Private Wireless Advanced Research Report:

• Private wireless projections have been revised downward just slightly to factor in the reduced 2021 baseline.
• Total private wireless RAN revenues, including macro and small cells, are still projected to more than double between 2021 and 2026.
• The technology mix has not changed much with LTE dominating the private market in 2021 and 5G NR still on track to surpass LTE by the outer part of the forecast period, approaching 3 percent to 5 percent of the total 5G private plus public RAN market by 2026.
• Risks are broadly balanced. On the upside, the 5G enterprise puzzle has still not been solved.
• The successful launch of private 5G services by suppliers with strong enterprise channels could accelerate the private 5G market at a faster pace than expected. On the downside, 5G awareness is improving but it will take some time for enterprises to fully understand the value of private LTE/5G.