Global Mobile Backhaul Equipment Market 2016-2020

Overview of the global mobile backhaul equipment market

Mobile backhaul plays a very crucial role in delivering good user experience and overall network performance. The mobile backhaul capacity needed per base station varies, depending on target data rates and population density. The global mobile backhaul equipment market is anticipated to grow steadily during the forecast period because of the proliferation of small cells and growth in the mobile data traffic owing to increase in the number of data-capable devices and high-bandwidth applications. Moreover, the increased use of point-to-point microwave transport technology will further drive the growth of this market in the coming years. Microwave technology offers cost-efficient backhauling for high-speed voice and data services. It supports high data rates and helps to overcome the high cost and limited availability of fiber lines. The increased use of microwave technology provides hassle-free transfer of data, which will drive mobile backhaul equipment market growth during the forecast period. Technavio’s market research analyst predicts the global mobile backhaul equipment market to grow at a moderate CAGR of more than 2% by 2020.

Several telecom firms in the market are inclining toward millimeter wave solutions which involve the transmission of information through radio waves having a wavelength in the range between 1mm and 10 mm. There is an increase in the use of millimeter wave for backhaul of small cells and macrocells. These solutions offer higher bandwidth and play a key role in mobile backhaul and wireless communication. The millimeter wave equipment works on unlicensed E-band, licensed E-band, and W-band. This has propelled several microwave equipment suppliers to add millimeter wave gear to their product portfolio.

Competitive landscape and key vendors

The market for mobile backhaul equipment is competitive and comprises large number of small and large vendors. Ericsson, Huawei, Nokia, Cisco, and Juniper are the leading players in the market. Actelis Networks, Adtran, Adva Optical Networking, and Alvarion are some of the emerging vendors in this market space. These vendors compete in terms of performance, innovation, product features, quality, cost, distribution, and financial stability. To sustain themselves in the competitive market scenario, service providers are developing new technologies and keeping themselves updated about the emerging technologies that can have an impact on their product lines.

Leading vendors in the market are -

• Cisco
• Ericsson
• Nokia
• Huawei
• ZTE

Other prominent vendors in the mobile backhaul equipment include Actelis Networks, Adtran, ADVA Optical Networking, Alvarion, Aviat Networks, BridgeWave Communications, Cambridge Broadband Networks, Canoga Perkins, Celtro, Ceragon Networks, Ciena, DragonWave, ECI Telecom, FairPoint Communications, Fujitsu, Juniper, MRV Communications, Omnitron Systems, OneAccess Networks, RAD Data Communications, SkyFiber, Taqua, Telco Systems, Tellabs, and Transmode.

Segmentation by technology and analysis of the mobile backhaul equipment market

• Microwave
• Fiber and copper

The microwave segment dominated the market and occupied the largest share in the overall market. The microwave is the dominant technology that is used to link mobile base stations as it can be quickly deployed and is cost efficient. More than 50% of the mobile data traffic is transported through microwave because it enables short time-to-market and manages the growth in data traffic effectively and efficiently. The microwave backhaul technology is able to handle 100% of all radio access sites’ capacity needs. The increasing use of E-band spectrum to meet the capacity surge for backhaul and fronthaul will positively aid in the growth of the overall market in the coming years.

Geographical segmentation and analysis of the mobile backhaul equipment market

• Americas
• APAC
• EMEA

The mobile backhaul equipment market in the Americas is the largest across the globe and is expected to grow considerably during the forecast period. Factors such as increased penetration of internet-enabled devices, rise in mobile data traffic, and availability of faster internet connections are driving the market growth in the Americas. Also, the high adoption of small cells in this region, especially the US, will also result in further growth of the market.

 Key questions answered in the report include

• What will the mobile backhaul equipment market size and the growth rate be in 2020?
• What are the key factors driving the global mobile backhaul equipment market?
• What are the key mobile backhaul equipment market trends impacting the growth?
• What are the challenges to market growth?
• Who are the key vendors in the global mobile backhaul equipment market?
• What are the market opportunities and threats faced by the vendors in the global mobile backhaul equipment market?
• Trending factors influencing the market shares of the Americas, APAC, and EMEA.
• What are the key outcomes of the five forces analysis of the global mobile backhaul equipment market?