Asia/Pacific (Excluding Japan and Greater China) Carrier Equipment Spending Forecast Update, 2023-2027

This IDC Market Forecast analyzes the mobile network equipment investments that continue to play a larger portion in total capex, accounting for 65-70% of total network equipment capex, indicating that communications SPs in the region are prioritizing radio access network (RAN) investment as a key component of their strategic initiatives. This emphasis on RAN underscores the industry's commitment in enhancing mobile network capabilities and expanding coverage to meet the growing demand for mobile services."Looking at the telecom market in the region, we see more money being spent on 5G and fiber networks, whereas investments in older networks, such as 2G/3G, LTE, and legacy fixed networks, are going down. This decrease in spending on older networks is slowing down overall growth in capex. Specifically, we expect the expansion of 5G networks to keep growing for the next few years, with focus on more advanced services and network infrastructure, including standalone, network slicing, ultra-reliable low-latency communications (URLLC), 5G nonterrestrial networking, and multi-access edge computing (MEC), that will start to emerge. This change highlights how the telecom industry is shifting its focus from older technologies to newer and faster 5G networks that are becoming more important for both consumers and businesses," says Khairil Anwar, senior research manager, IDC Asia/Pacific.