Release Date: January 2017

Number of Pages: 220

Number of Tables and Figures: 86

Synopsis: vRAN (Virtualized Radio Access Network) refers to a RAN (Radio Access Network) implementation where some or all baseband functions are separated from the remote radio unit and run as VNFs (Virtualized Network Functions) on commodity hardware. This approach results in multiple operational benefits including but not limited to TCO (Total Cost of Ownership) reduction, performance gains and scalability. In addition, vRAN enables mobile operators to future-proof their networks for 5G upgrades.

The vRAN market is presently at a nascent stage with most investments focused on virtualized small cells for targeted greenfield deployments and pilot engagements for macrocell coverage. However, as mobile operators realize the benefits of RAN virtualization, the market is expected to grow at a CAGR of approximately 125% over the next three year period. By the end of 2020, SNS Research estimates that vRAN deployments will account for a market worth $2.6 Billion.

The “vRAN (Virtualized Radio Access Network) Ecosystem: 2017 – 2030 – Opportunities, Challenges, Strategies & Forecasts” report presents an in-depth assessment of the vRAN ecosystem including enabling technologies, key trends, market drivers, challenges, standardization, collaborative initiatives, regulatory landscape, deployment models, operator case studies, opportunities, future roadmap, value chain, ecosystem player profiles and strategies. The report also presents forecasts for vRAN investments from 2017 till 2030. The forecasts cover multiple submarkets and 6 regions.

The report comes with an associated Excel datasheet suite covering quantitative data from all numeric forecasts presented in the report.

Sample Request:

For a Sample and Table of Contents please contact info@snstelecom.com

Pricing:

The report is available for the following price:

• Single User License: USD 2,500
• Company Wide License: USD 3,500

Key Findings:

The report has the following key findings:

• vRAN investments are expected to grow at a CAGR of approximately 125% over the next three year period. By the end of 2020, SNS Research estimates that vRAN deployments will account for a market worth $2.6 Billion.
• At present, most vRAN investments are focused on virtualized small cells for targeted greenfield deployments and pilot engagements for macrocell coverage.
• Mobile operators are exploring multiple baseband functional split options for vRAN implementation, as they seek to ease the transition to 5G networks while reducing fronthaul costs.
• The ongoing 5G race is expected to significantly boost vRAN investments over the coming years. SNS Research estimates that approximately $900 Million of all vRAN investments will be directed towards 5G networks by the end of 2020.

Topics Covered:

The report covers the following topics:

• vRAN ecosystem
• Market drivers and barriers
• vRAN architecture and key functional elements
• Baseband functional splitting for vRAN implementation
• Fronthaul networking technologies and interface options
• Key trends including RAN slicing, RANaaS (RAN as a Service), neutral hosting and MEC (Mobile Edge Computing)
• TCO comparison between vRAN and conventional RAN architectures
• vRAN deployment models including Cloud RAN and virtualized small cells
• Mobile operator case studies
• Regulatory landscape, collaborative initiatives and standardization
• Industry roadmap and value chain
• Profiles and strategies of over 60 leading ecosystem players including vRAN solution providers
• Strategic recommendations for ecosystem players including vRAN solution providers and mobile operators
• Market analysis and forecasts from 2017 till 2030

Forecast Segmentation:

Market forecasts are provided for each of the following submarkets and their subcategories:

• Submarkets
  • vRAN Radio Units
  • vBBUs (Virtualized Baseband Units)
• Air Interface Technology Segmentation
  • LTE & 3G
  • 5G NR (New Radio)
• Deployment Model Segmentation
  • Virtualized Small Cells
  • Virtualized Macrocells
• Regional Markets
  • Asia Pacific
  • Eastern Europe
  • Middle East & Africa
  • Latin & Central America
  • North America
  • Western Europe

Key Questions Answered:

The report provides answers to the following key questions:

• How big is the vRAN opportunity?
• What trends, challenges and barriers are influencing its growth?
• How is the ecosystem evolving by segment and region?
• What will the market size be in 2020 and at what rate will it grow?
• Which submarkets will see the highest percentage of growth?
• Is centralization a pre-requisite for vRAN implementation?
• What are the benefits and drawbacks of each baseband functional split option?
• How can vRAN reduce the TCO of RAN deployments?
• How can mobile operators future-proof their RAN investments for 5G upgrades?
• Who are the key market players and what are their strategies?
• What strategies should vRAN solution providers and mobile operators adopt to remain competitive?

Companies & Organizations Mentioned:

The following companies and organizations have been reviewed, discussed or mentioned in the report:

3GPP (3rd Generation Partnership Project)

6WIND

ADLINK Technology

Advantech

Airspan Networks

Altiostar Networks

Amarisoft

Argela

Aricent

ARM Holdings

Artemis Networks

Artesyn Embedded Technologies

ASOCS

ASTRI (Hong Kong Applied Science and Technology Research Institute)

Broadband Forum

Broadcom

BT Group

Casa Systems

Cavium

China Mobile

China Unicom

Cisco Systems

Clavister

Cobham Wireless

Comcores

CommAgility

CommScope

Contela

Dali Wireless

Dell Technologies

DT (Deutsche Telekom)

eASIC Corporation

EBlink

EE

Ericsson

ETSI (European Telecommunications Standards Institute)

EURECOM

Facebook

Fujitsu

Hitachi

HPE (Hewlett Packard Enterprise)

Huawei

IBM Corporation

IDT (Integrated Device Technology)

IEEE (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers)

Intel Corporation

ip.access

IS-Wireless

ITU (International Telecommunications Union)

JMA Wireless

Kathrein-Werke KG

KT Corporation

Linux Foundation

MEF (Metro Ethernet Forum)

Mellanox Technologies

Microsemi Corporation

Mitel Mobility

Mobiveil

MontaVista Software

MTI Mobile

NEC Corporation

NGMN (Next Generation Mobile Networks) Alliance

Nokia

Nokia Networks

Nokia Technologies

NTT Communications

NTT DoCoMo

NXP Semiconductors

Octasic

ON.Lab (Open Networking Lab)

ONF (Open Networking Foundation)

Orange

OSA (OpenAirInterface Software Alliance)

Parallel Wireless

Phluido

Qualcomm

Quortus

Radisys Corporation

Ranzure Networks

Rearden

Red Hat

Samsung Electronics

SCF (Small Cell Forum)

SK Telecom

SoftBank Group

SOLiD (SOLiD Technologies)

SpiderCloud Wireless

Sprint Corporation

Sumitomo Electric Industries

Sunnada (Fujian Sunnada Communication Company)

Sunwave Communications

Telecom Italia Group

Telefónica Group

TI (Texas Instruments)

TIM (Telecom Italia Mobile)

Vodafone Group

Vodafone Hutchison Australia

Vodafone Italy

Xilinx

xRAN Consortium

Xura

ZTE