Overview:
In July, the UK government announced that UK Mobile Network Operators (MNOs) must replace Huawei 5G equipment from their networks by the end of 2027 and are banned from procuring new 5G equipment from Huawei after the end of 2020. The follows an earlier ruling which capped deployment of Huawei equipment in the Radio Access Network (RAN) to just 35%.
This report provides an overview of the current installed base of Huawei mobile equipment in the UK and analyses the implications, challenges and options facing UK operators as they contemplate how to conform with the most recent ruling while minimising the impact on their 5G deployments across the country.
Table of Contents:
- Snapshot
- Key Business Assumptions
- UK Government Ruling
- Implication for Operators
- Options for Operators
- Evaluating Options, Most Likely Scenarios
- Viewpoint
Number of Pages: 12
Author: Gareth Owen
Publication Date: August 17, 2020
Overview:
Fixed wireless access (FWA) is emerging as one of the leading use cases for 5G NR architecture and is rapidly gaining momentum as a scalable alternative for fixed broadband. Counterpoint Research predicts that FWA subscriptions will rise from a 4% share of the consumer broadband market today to account for nearly a third of the overall household broadband market by 2030 which is close to half a billion FWA home subscribers. 5G will account to close to 90% of these FWA subscriptions by 2030.
This report provides deep dives into the key drivers behind this increasing momentum for FWA as well as identifying some of the key challenges that need to be overcome for FWA to succeed. The report also helps identify the emerging FWA ecosystem and different value chain players from components to devices to service integrators and providers. The report further looks at the most likely addressable market segments for FWA and makes recommendations for the key FWA stakeholders and Communication Service Provider (CSP) community as they move past trials to commercial launches around the world.
Table of Contents:
- Snapshot
- The Emerging Case for Fixed Wireless Access (FWA)
- Market Momentum for FWA
- FWA deployments around the World
- Key Drivers for FWA
- Implementation Challenges for FWA
- The Emerging FWA Ecosystem and Value Chain
- FWA Key Vendor Profiles
- FWA Subscriptions & CPE Forecast
- Recommendations for Communications Service Providers
- Conclusion and Future Outlook
Number of Pages: 29
Author: Neil Shah and Shiv Putcha
Publish date, July 2020
Overview:
5G Multi-Access Edge Computing (MEC) has generated significant hype in recent years, promising to deliver low latency and improved quality of services which will enable a plethora of commercial opportunities for Mobile Network Operators (MNOs). However, the ecosystem is complex with many stakeholders positioning themselves to benefit from this new opportunity and there remains many uncertainties about how the edge market will play out.
This report provides an overview of the emerging mobile edge ecosystem, highlighting the partnerships developing between various types of infrastructure providers, with a particular focus on the mobile network operators, public cloud operators, data center providers and content delivery network providers.
Table of Contents:
- Snapshot
- Key Business Assumptions
- The MEC Ecosystem
- Mobile Network Operators
- Hyperscalers
- Major Colocation Providers
- Edge Data Center Providers
- Content Delivery Network Providers
- Tower Operators
- Other Players
- Viewpoint
Number of Page: 15
Author: Gareth Owen
Published Date: July 2020
Overview:
While all the incumbent vendors have developed a range of virtualized RAN (vRAN) product portfolios, Nokia recently became the first of the Big Three players to offer a vRAN product incorporating O-RAN compliant interfaces when it announced its 5G AirScale Cloud RAN product portfolio.
This report provides a brief overview of the AirScale Cloud RAN product and discusses Nokia’s strategy with respect to opening the RAN. Also discussed is the likely impact of this development on the overall RAN ecosystem, particularly the open RAN new entrants and Nokia’s incumbent rivals.
Table of Contents:
- Snapshot
- Key Business Assumptions
- Introduction
- Nokia's vRAN 2.0 Portfolio
- Nokia's vRAN Strategy
- Impact on Rival Vendors
- Viewpoint
Number of Pages: 13
Author: Gareth Owen
Published Date: June 2020
Overview:
One of the major promises of 5G is low latency, with target levels of 1 millisecond specified in 3GPP Release 16 for the 5G air interface. This will enable Mobile Network Operators (MNO) to introduce a wealth of new applications and services. However, achieving these very low levels of latency will require MNOs to build a dense network of Multi-Access Edge Computing (MEC) data centres at considerable cost and with significant business risk.
This Viewpoint evaluates the latency which exists at various points along a 5G network and investigates how this and other factors determine MEC deployment options available to MNOs. In particular the report focuses on low latency uses cases and how these low latencies can be achieved as well as outlining some of the business challenges facing MNOs contemplating deploying their own MEC infrastructure.
Table of Contents:
- Snapshot
- Key Business Assumptions
- Tech Focus
- Use Cases and Business Models
- 5G MEC Locations
- 5G MEC Deployments
- MEC Infrastructure Costs
- Impact of AI, 6G and Hybrid Computing Architectures
- Viewpoint
Number of Pages: 13
Author: Gareth Owen
Published Date: June 2020
Overview:
The RAN market today us dominated by a small number of incumbent vendors led by Huawei, Ericsson and Nokia. In order to generate more competition and increased vendor diversity, a number of MNOs are supporting the concept of open RAN in which proprietary RAN technologies are replaced by open standard alternatives.
Table of Contents:
- Introduction
- 4G/5G RAN Architectures
- The Concept of Open RAN
- Open RAN Standards
- Open RAN Vendor Ecosystem
- Open RAN Deployments
- Market Opportunities
- Key Challenges
- Viewpoint
Author: Gareth Owen
Number of Pages: 12
Published Date: May 2020
Overview:
In recent years, there has been a lot of focus on the use of 5G as the optimum wireless solution for low latency use cases, particularly in the case of the most demanding Ultra Reliable Low Latency Communications (URLCC) type applications. However, the introduction of new Wi-Fi technologies over the next two to three years may level the playing field and provide an alternative solution.
This Viewpoint compares and contrasts the suitability of Wi-Fi 6 and 5G NR for low latency applications such as mobile AR/VR, gaming, video calling and 4k/8k video streaming in consumer, enterprise and manufacturing markets with a particular focus on the capabilities of new variants of these technologies (Wi-Fi 6E, future Wi-Fi 7 and 5G NR-U) operating in the new 6 GHz spectrum bands.
Table of Contents:
- Snapshot
- Key Business Assumptions
- Introduction
- Tech Focus
- Wi-Fi 6 Overview
- Wi-Fi 6E in the 6 GHz band
- Standalone 5G NR-U
- Wi-Fi 7
- Overcoming Limitations of Traditional Wi-Fi
- Low Latency Use Cases and Applications
- Consumer Market
- Enterprise Market
- Industrial IoT Market
- Viewpoint
Number of Pages: 11
Author: Gareth Owen
Date: April 2020
Overview:
Huawei’s 2-day meeting in London in February 2020 was held in lieu of the cancelled MWC event in Barcelona.
Key themes at the event included the importance of offering compact integrated roof-top RAN hardware solutions with improved performance and lower power consumption; delivering low latency and guaranteed bandwidth via intelligent routers and optical IP transport networks and the importance of leveraging AI to improve efficiency and minimise power consumption in the RAN and 5G core.
Table of Contents:
- 5G Global Rollout Update
- New Products and Solutions, including
- 3rd Gen Massive MIMO Antenna
- HilSilicon 5G Modem Modules
- Digital Indoor Solutions (DIS)
- RuralStar Pro Solution
- NetEgnine Intelligent Routers
- AI-based Network Planning & Digital Twins
- Key Takeaways
Number of Pages: 15
Author: Gareth Owen
Published Date: March 2019
Overview:
Network slicing will be a key component of future 5G networks and will support innovative new use cases and business models thus enabling Mobile Network Operators (MNOs) to offer application-specific services to different groups of enterprises and organizations. This Viewpoint compares and contrasts the technical and business benefits of deploying a private network tailored to an enterprise’s exact requirements compared to utilising a network slice from a 5G mobile operator.
Table of Contents:
- Snapshot
- KPIs.
- Introduction.
- Tech Focus.
- 5G Network Slicing.
- 4G LTE Network Slicing.
- Evolution from LTE to 5G.
- The MNO’s Perspective.
- The Enterprise’s Perspective
- Network Slicing versus Private Networks.
- The Case for Network Slicing.
- The Case for Private Networks.
- Wide Area or Local Area Coverage?.
- Flexible deployments for business flexibility.
- Hybrid Network Solutions:
- MNO Solutions
- 4G/LTE Network Slicing
- MNOs Rolling Out Private Networks.
- Vendors’ Dilemma.
- Viewpoint
Number of Pages: 13
Author: Gareth Owen
Published Date: February 2020