Despite the accelerating rollout of 5G and other new digital technologies, the RAN (Radio Access Network) market declined globally in Q3 2022. The slower growth that was seen in the first half of 2022 has extended into the third quarter of the year as well. Dell’Oro Group, a research and insights firm, has said that the 2G-5G RAN market declined year-over-year for a second consecutive quarter.

According to the research firm, the top five RAN suppliers globally in Q3 2022 were Huawei, Ericsson, Nokia, ZTE and Samsung. Outside of China, the top four RAN suppliers globally were Ericsson, Nokia, Huawei and Samsung. As per Dell’Oro, RAN revenues for Nokia improved sequentially for a third-consecutive quarter.

Owing to the slow growth trends in the first three quarters of 2022, Global RAN revenues are expected to show a decline at a low single-digit rate in 2023. In the short term, RAN prospects have been revised downward by Dell’Oro.

“After four years of extraordinary growth that catapulted the RAN market to record levels in 2021, the RAN market is now entering a new phase,” said Stefan Pongratz, Vice President at Dell’Oro Group. “Even with 5G still increasing at a healthy pace, comparisons are more challenging and the implication for the broader RAN market is that growth is decelerating. Still, one major difference between 4G and 5G is the fact there are now more frequency options for the operators to pursue, which helps to curb the decline in the post-peak rollout phase,” continued Pongratz.