CBRS & Private LTE/5G Networks: 2023 - 2030 - Opportunities, Challenges, Strategies & Forecasts

After many years of regulatory, standardization and technical implementation activities, the United States' dynamic, three-tiered, hierarchical framework to coordinate shared use of 150 MHz of spectrum in the 3.5 GHz CBRS (Citizens Broadband Radio Service) band has finally become a commercial success. Although the shared spectrum arrangement is access technology neutral, the 3GPP cellular wireless ecosystem is at the forefront of CBRS adoption, with more than half of all active CBSDs (Citizens Broadband Radio Service Devices) based on LTE and 5G NR air interface technologies. LTE-based CBRS network deployments have gained considerable momentum in recent years and encompass hundreds of thousands of cell sites - operating in both GAA (General Authorized Access) and PAL (Priority Access License) spectrum tiers - to support use cases as diverse as mobile network densification, FWA (Fixed Wireless Access) in rural communities, MVNO (Mobile Virtual Network Operator) offload, neutral host small cells for in-building coverage enhancement, and private cellular networks in support of IIoT (Industrial IoT), enterprise connectivity, distance learning and smart city initiatives.

Commercial rollouts of 5G NR network equipment operating in the CBRS band have also begun, which are laying the foundation for advanced application scenarios that have more demanding performance requirements in terms of throughput, latency, reliability, availability and connection density - for example, Industry 4.0 applications such as connected production machinery, mobile robotics, AGVs (Automated Guided Vehicles) and AR (Augmented Reality)-assisted troubleshooting. Examples of 5G NR-based CBRS network installations range from luxury automaker BMW Group's industrial-grade 5G network for autonomous logistics at its Spartanburg plant in South Carolina and the U.S. Navy's standalone private 5G network at NAS (Naval Air Station) Whidbey Island to Comcast's and Charter's ongoing 5G RAN (Radio Access Network) buildouts based on strand-mounted CBRS radios and mobile operator Verizon's planned activation of 5G NR-equipped CBRS small cells to supplement its existing 5G service deployment over C-band and mmWave (Millimeter Wave) spectrum.

SNS Telecom & IT estimates that annual investments in LTE and 5G NR-based CBRS RAN, mobile core and transport network infrastructure reached $900 Million in 2023. Complemented by an expanding selection of 3GPP Band 48/n48-compatible end user devices, the market is further expected to grow at a CAGR of approximately 20% over the next three years to surpass $1.5 Billion in annual spending by 2026. Much of this growth will be driven by private cellular, neutral host and fixed wireless broadband network deployments, as well as 5G buildouts aimed at improving the economics of the cable operators' MVNO services.

The wider global market for private cellular networks is also continuing its upward trajectory with deployments targeting a multitude of use cases across various industries, ranging from localized wireless systems for dedicated connectivity in factories, warehouses, mines, power plants, substations, offshore wind farms, oil and gas facilities, construction sites, maritime ports, airports, hospitals, office buildings and university campuses to regional and nationwide sub-1 GHz private wireless broadband networks for utilities, FRMCS (Future Railway Mobile Communication System)-ready networks for train-to-ground communications, and hybrid government-commercial public safety LTE networks, as well as rapidly deployable systems such as the German Armed Forces' ZNV (Deployable Cellular Networks) solution, Hsinchu City Fire Department's satellite-backhauled portable 5G network for emergency communications and BBC's (British Broadcasting Corporation) temporary private 5G network used during King Charles' coronation. Custom-built cellular networks have also been implemented in locations as remote as Antarctica and there are even plans for installations on the moon's surface and outer space.

SNS Telecom & IT estimates that global spending on private 5G and 4G LTE network infrastructure for vertical industries will grow at a CAGR of approximately 18% over the next three years, eventually accounting for more than $6.4 Billion by the end of 2026. As much as 40% of these investments - nearly $2.8 Billion - will be directed towards the build-out of standalone private 5G networks that will become the predominant wireless communications medium to support the ongoing Industry 4.0 revolution for the digitization and automation of manufacturing and process industries. This unprecedented level of growth is likely to transform private cellular networks into an almost parallel equipment ecosystem to public mobile operator infrastructure in terms of market size by the late 2020s.

Spanning over 3,000 pages, the "CBRS & Private LTE/5G Networks: 2023 - 2030 - Opportunities, Challenges, Strategies & Forecasts" report package encompasses two comprehensive reports covering CBRS and private cellular networks:

• LTE & 5G NR-Based CBRS Networks: 2023 - 2030 - Opportunities, Challenges, Strategies & Forecasts

• Private LTE & 5G Network Ecosystem: 2023 - 2030 - Opportunities, Challenges, Strategies, Industry Verticals & Forecasts

This report package presents an in-depth assessment of both CBRS and private LTE/5G markets, including the value chain, market drivers, barriers to uptake, enabling technologies, operational and business models, vertical industries, application scenarios, key trends, future roadmap, standardization, spectrum availability and allocation, regulatory landscape, case studies, ecosystem player profiles and strategies. The report package also provides forecasts for network infrastructure and terminal equipment from 2023 to 2030.

The report package comes with an associated Excel datasheet suite covering quantitative data from all numeric forecasts presented in both reports, as well as two databases tracking over 800 LTE/5G NR-based CBRS network installations and more than 6,400 global private LTE/5G engagements.

Additional Details:

Topics Covered:

The report package covers the following topics:

Report 1: LTE & 5G NR-Based CBRS Networks: 2023 - 2030 - Opportunities, Challenges, Strategies & Forecasts

• Introduction to LTE and 5G NR-based CBRS networks
• Value chain and ecosystem structure
• Market drivers and challenges
• Technical aspects, including CBRS spectrum sharing rules, system architecture, functional elements, core network integration and security
• Key trends such as the growing prevalence of private cellular networks in industrial and enterprise settings, neutral host small cells, 3GPP-based fixed wireless broadband rollouts, MVNO offload and mobile network densification
• Business models, use cases and application scenarios
• Future roadmap of LTE and 5G NR in CBRS spectrum
• Standardization, regulatory and collaborative initiatives
• 50 case studies of LTE and 5G NR-based CBRS network deployments
• Database tracking more than 800 CBRS network engagements
• Profiles and strategies of over 300 ecosystem players
• Strategic recommendations for LTE and 5G NR equipment suppliers, system integrators, service providers, enterprises and vertical industries
• Market analysis and forecasts from 2023 till 2030

Report 2: Private LTE & 5G Network Ecosystem: 2023 - 2030 - Opportunities, Challenges, Strategies, Industry Verticals & Forecasts

• Introduction to private LTE and 5G networks
• Value chain and ecosystem structure
• Market drivers and challenges
• System architecture and key elements of private LTE and 5G networks
• Operational and business models, network size, geographic reach and other practical aspects of private LTE and 5G networks
• Critical communications broadband evolution, Industry 4.0, enterprise transformation and other themes shaping the adoption of private LTE and 5G networks
• Enabling technologies and concepts, including 3GPP-defined MCX, URLLC, TSC, NR-U, SNPN and PNI-NPN, cellular IoT, high-precision positioning, network slicing, edge computing and network automation capabilities
• Key trends such as the emergence of new classes of specialized network operators, shared and local area spectrum licensing, private NaaS offerings, IT/OT convergence, Open RAN, vRAN and rapidly deployable LTE/5G systems
• Analysis of vertical industries and application scenarios, extending from mission-critical group communications and real-time video transmission to reconfigurable wireless production lines, collaborative mobile robots, AGVs and untethered AR/VR/MR
• Future roadmap of private LTE and 5G networks
• Review of private LTE and 5G network installations worldwide, including 100 case studies spanning 15 verticals
• Database tracking more than 6,000 private LTE and 5G engagements in over 120 countries across the globe
• Spectrum availability, allocation and usage across the global, regional and national domains
• Standardization, regulatory and collaborative initiatives
• Profiles and strategies of more than 1,800 ecosystem players
• Strategic recommendations for LTE/5G equipment and chipset suppliers, system integrators, private network specialists, mobile operators and end user organizations
• Market analysis and forecasts from 2023 till 2030

Key Questions Answered:

The report package provides answers to the following key questions:

Report 1: LTE & 5G NR-Based CBRS Networks: 2023 - 2030 - Opportunities, Challenges, Strategies & Forecasts

• How big is the opportunity for LTE and 5G NR-based CBRS networks?
• What trends, drivers and challenges are influencing its growth?
• What will the market size be in 2026, and at what rate will it grow?
• Which submarkets and verticals will see the highest percentage of growth?
• What are the business models, use cases and application scenarios for CBRS networks?
• How does the integration of CBRS spectrum relieve capacity constraints faced by public mobile operators?
• How are WISPs (Wireless Internet Service Providers) leveraging CBRS for fixed wireless broadband rollouts in rural and underserved communities?
• What opportunities exist for cable operators, neutral hosts, niche service providers and other new entrants?
• How is CBRS accelerating the uptake of private cellular networks for vertical industries and enterprises?
• How is the commercial availability of 5G NR-based CBRS network equipment setting the stage for Industry 4.0 and advanced applications?
• What are the prospects of non-3GPP technologies in CBRS spectrum?
• Who are the key ecosystem players, and what are their strategies?
• What strategies should CBRS equipment suppliers, system integrators, service providers and other stakeholders adopt to remain competitive?

Report 2: Private LTE & 5G Network Ecosystem: 2023 - 2030 - Opportunities, Challenges, Strategies, Industry Verticals & Forecasts

• How big is the private LTE and 5G network opportunity?
• What trends, drivers and challenges are influencing its growth?
• What will the market size be in 2026, and at what rate will it grow?
• Which submarkets, verticals and regions will see the highest percentage of growth?
• What is the status of private LTE and 5G network adoption in each country, and what are the primary application scenarios of these networks?
• How is private cellular connectivity facilitating the digital transformation of manufacturing, mining, oil and gas, ports and other vertical industries?
• What are the practical and quantifiable benefits of private LTE and 5G networks in terms of productivity improvement, cost reduction and worker safety?
• How can satellite backhaul and direct-to-device NTN (Non-Terrestrial Network) access expand the reach of private networks in remote environments?
• How are MCPTT capabilities enabling the transition from narrowband LMR systems to 3GPP-based private broadband networks?
• What are the key characteristics of standalone private 5G connectivity, and when will URLLC, TSC and other 3GPP-defined IIoT features be widely employed?
• How can private edge computing accommodate latency-sensitive applications while enhancing data sovereignty and security?
• Where does network slicing for differentiated service requirements fit in the private cellular networking landscape?
• What are the existing and candidate frequency bands for the operation of private LTE and 5G networks?
• How are CBRS and other coordinated shared/local spectrum licensing frameworks accelerating the uptake of private networks?
• When will sub-1 GHz critical communications LTE networks begin their transition to 5G technology?
• What are the prospects of private 5G networks operating in mmWave spectrum?
• What is the impact of post-pandemic changes on private LTE and 5G network deployments?
• What opportunities exist for hyperscalers, managed services providers and other new entrants?
• Who are the key ecosystem players, and what are their strategies?
• What strategies should LTE/5G equipment suppliers, system integrators, private network specialists and mobile operators adopt to remain competitive?