Report:

Magic Quadrant for CSP 5G RAN Infrastructure Solutions

Top Vendor Products for CSP 5G RAN Infrastructure Solutions in 2024

• Ericsson
• Huawei
• Nokia

CSP 5G RAN Infrastructure Solutions Vendor Product Comparisons 2024

• Ericsson - Leader
  

  Pros:

  • Ericsson's leading role in the evolution of 5G technology, which included such innovations as Ericsson Spectrum Sharing, Uplink Booster and in-house Ericsson Silicon, has given the company a first-mover advantage and enhanced its mind share as a technological thought leader.
  • In February 2024, Ericsson reported that it had been working with CSPs to establish 134 commercial live 5G RAN networks. Based on Gartner counting, Ericsson has concluded more 5G deals with CSPs than any of its competitors. This success can be attributed to its diverse product portfolio, strong service and delivery teams, and broad market presence.
  • Ericsson's R&D investments in 5G, 6G and adjacent technologies, including energy-efficiency features, contributions to various standardization bodies (e.g, 3GPP and O-RAN ALLIANCE) and its industry benchmark Ericsson Mobility Report have helped maintain its thought leadership.

  Cons:

  • Ericsson's RU product portfolio is more limited than some of its competitors. For example, Ericsson currently has limited massive multiple input/multiple output (MIMO) product variations, such as larger antenna array massive MIMO (e.g., 384 antennas), frequency division duplexing (FDD) massive MIMO, active-passive antenna, and multiband 8T8R RUs.
  • In some cases, Ericsson has been said to lack flexibility and a customer-oriented culture. For example, some CSPs have noted that they have to align with Ericsson features, roadmap and delivery priorities, rather than the other way around.
  • Although Ericsson announced its Open RAN support and related deal with AT&T in 2023, its priorities are single-vendor Open RAN supported by end-to-end Ericsson RAN solutions. Ericsson's approach to Open RAN Fronthaul multivendor integration is conservative, and is based on Ericsson's perception of the market and technology both being at a low level of readiness.


• Huawei - Leader
  

  Pros:

  • Huawei has established itself as a technological leader in the 5G RAN market, spearheading the development of standards and innovative technologies. Huawei introduced its 5.5G products with Native Giga and Native Green initiatives, including ultrawideband and multiantenna technologies and 0 Bit 0 Watt solution, marking a key step in 5.5G commercial deployment.
  • Huawei offers a high-quality and comprehensive 5G RAN portfolio (e.g., its MetaAAU, FDD ultrawideband, active-passive antenna, multiband RUs) to CSPs. Huawei has developed a number of leading innovative features, such as the massive MIMO adaptive high-resolution algorithm, Super Uplink, iHashBand2.0 and distributed massive MIMO software feature for its indoor base stations.
  • Huawei has strong deployment and services capabilities. Huawei has a greater volume of 5G equipment deployed in China than any other vendor, and benefits from the large-scale stand-alone 5G implementation in China. Huawei's 5G business is also well-positioned in some countries in Asia/Pacific and Europe, as well as the Middle East. Huawei has established a global professional services organization to support its global operations, ensuring rapid response to customer needs.

  Cons:

  • Huawei's market presence and growth opportunities in regions such as North America, parts of Europe and Asia/Pacific are impacted by ongoing geopolitical challenges and security integrity concerns around its network portfolio.
  • Due to restrictions imposed by the U.S. government, Huawei lacks access to some leading advanced silicon technology for 5G RAN chipsets. This may hinder its ability to keep pace with key competitors in chipset development.
  • Huawei has been slow to respond to emerging trends like Open RAN and public cloud partnerships. This limitation constrains Huawei's capacity to participate in strategic Open RAN, vRAN and public cloud initiatives pursued by various CSPs.


• Nokia - Leader
  

  Pros:

  • Nokia introduced anyRAN to the market in 2023, offering CSP clients and prospects the possibility of using a single RAN software solution across cloud and purpose-built network infrastructure. The anyRAN solution can run on various architectures, including a blueprint Cloud RAN solution on top of leading third-party server suppliers. It can also run within major public cloud data centers, which offers a great deal of flexibility and performance assurance to CSPs wanting to take a stepped approach toward Cloud RAN.
  • Nokia has 110 live 5G commercial networks (across RAN and Core). Based on our count, Nokia is one of the market leaders in terms of the number of 5G deals, based in part on its strong sales team and customer-oriented culture focused on the needs of the CSP market.
  • Nokia has invested heavily in cloudification, including support for CSPs that are transitioning to cloud-based network deployment and operation. Nokia has an advanced software and services organization that addresses areas such as 5G monetization, use of advanced analytics and AI for energy efficiency in 5G, and enhanced network upgrade planning, among other CSP needs.

  Cons:

  • While Nokia has improved its chipset performance with its ReefShark chipset, it still lags behind other advanced vendors in areas such as chipset design (e.g., smaller process node) and software optimization. CSPs should be mindful of Nokia's chipset development, delivery and product integration, and monitor for further improvements.
  • While Nokia is active in terms of Open RAN/vRAN development and standardization, it has not yet gained significant commercial traction. AT&T chose Ericsson over Nokia in its $14 billion Open RAN network contract. Its Cloud RAN is not generally available and lags some other competitors.
  • Nokia announced job cuts of 16% or 14,000 people in 4Q23; these layoffs could affect product development, sales/marketing engagements, and product quality — an area of continued concern.


• CICT Mobile - Niche Player
  

  Pros:

  • As a state-owned optical company, CICT Mobile has close relationships with domestic communication service providers (CSPs), which can be leveraged to participate in scaled 5G rollouts in the Chinese market. The company currently has around 3% market share in China's 5G radio access network (RAN) market.
  • China Information and Communication Technology Group, the parent company, is also a major supplier of optical equipment in China and Southeast Asia. The business network that was established for the optical product can be leveraged for its 5G RAN product and service in the region.
  • CICT Mobile has a good portfolio, IP and industrial 4G/5G solution, especially in intelligent manufacturing, smart energy and C-V2X.

  Cons:

  • The company has a limited 5G-related product portfolio in terms of radio unit (RU) and baseband unit (BBU) variations. In addition, it does not have a clear strategy in emerging technologies like open radio access network (Open RAN) or cloud-native infrastructure. Both of these limit its capabilities in embracing the new technology ecosystem.
  • CICT Mobile is a local Chinese 5G equipment vendor with a small market share. The company's lack of system integration, service capability and presence in the global market limit its ability to serve global clients outside China.
  • Tension between the U.S. and China is increasing, along with political resistance and security concerns about Chinese vendors' products in certain nations and regions.


• Comba Telecom - Niche Player
  

  Pros:

  • Comba Telecom has developed a notable presence in the 5G antenna market, particularly with its innovative Helifeed Green Antenna series, which has been widely deployed in China and Asia markets. Its antennas' credibility allows the company to rapidly cultivate relationships with CSPs and other ecosystem players, and penetrate markets.
  • The company provides comprehensive antenna, DAS and indoor small cell solutions commercially deployed in multiple scenarios such as airports, subway stations, railways and tunnels, and landmark buildings. This approach diversifies its business and reduces dependency on any single scenario.
  • The company's services include consultancy, network design, drive tests and maintenance. This range of services ensures CSP clients receive continuous support from planning through postdeployment, enhancing customer satisfaction and retention.

  Cons:

  • Recognized as an antenna specialist, Comba Telecom has limited capability to provide Tier 1 local support on RAN business for CSPs outside China and Asia. These challenges hinder its ability to secure CSPs' contracts as a 5G RAN vendor.
  • Comba Telecom's business is focused on small cell and private mobile networks, and its products are not yet proven for large-scale 5G macro RAN rollouts. When considering Comba Telecom, CSPs need to position it in specific use cases and carefully evaluate product features and capabilities, service support, references and future roadmaps.
  • Comba's 5G RAN product portfolio is not as comprehensive as those of Leaders in this Magic Quadrant, and its limited resources, such as system integration and support in markets outside of China and Asia, restrict its growth potential in these regions.


• Fujitsu - Niche Player
  

  Pros:

  • Fujitsu is an active contributor to the O-RAN ALLIANCE and Telecom Infra Project (TIP). Fujitsu's dual-band and triband RUs are O-RAN-compliant and have been listed on TIP's Exchange marketplace. This can enable CSPs to quickly find interoperable solutions and reference designs for 4G and 5G networks.
  • Fujitsu has proven itself a trusted partner for Japanese CSPs, such as NTT DOCOMO and KDDI. NTT DOCOMO has been commercially deploying Fujitsu 5G virtualized RAN (vRAN) since 2023. Fujitsu also commercially deployed 5G Open RAN massive MIMO RUs for KDDI in Japan. Thanks to its leadership and local presence in Japan, Fujitsu has developed the ability to rapidly improve the quality of its products.
  • Fujitsu has been proactive in organizing multivendor O-RAN-compliant integration testing and plugfests with various BBU and RU vendors, resulting in early wins and engagements with DISH Network, Deutsche Telekom and AT&T. Fujitsu helps CSPs integrate and certify multivendor Open RAN networks via its interoperability labs in the U.S., Japan and India.

  Cons:

  • Fujitsu has a limited geographical reach (Japan and the U.S.) and is still establishing a presence in Europe and the rest of Asia.
  • Fujitsu's go-to-market strategy, including its sales plan (direct sales versus channel sales) and target customers, are not clear outside Japan, and its localization capabilities are not assured.
  • Fujitsu's 5G infrastructure product portfolio is not as comprehensive as those of the Leaders in this Magic Quadrant. Outside Japan in particular, Fujitsu lags behind Leaders in areas such as massive MIMO multiband RUs and 5G BBU solutions.


• Mavenir - Visionary
  

  Pros:

  • Mavenir focuses on the total cost of ownership through the automation of deployment configuration and operations, and flexible deployment options for placement of virtualized central units (vCUs) and virtualized distributed units (vDUs). It also partners with major cloud and IT technology providers (e.g., Amazon Web Services [AWS], Microsoft, VMware) and supports multivendor Open RAN.
  • Mavenir differs from other emerging vRAN vendors. It has been selling its in-house-developed OpenBeam hardware portfolio, including O-RU products. This includes massive MIMO RUs with a focus on high-capacity 5G 64 TRX massive MIMO.
  • Mavenir has closed a number of 4G/5G vRAN deals with both "greenfield" and Tier 1 operators, as well as smaller CSPs, for mobile and fixed wireless access (FWA) and nonterrestrial network (NTN) providers. These key operators include Airtel, Bell Canada, DISH Network, Deutsche Telekom, Ligado Networks, Paradise Mobile, Terrestar Solutions, Virgin Media O2 and Vodafone Idea.

  Cons:

  • Mavenir's ability to collaborate with other Open RAN/vRAN vendors could be strained as it increases its portfolio and competes more directly with other incumbent vendors. Mavenir used to offer partner products such as its 4G LTE RUs, but is actively developing in-house 4G/5G O-RUs. This could be a sign that Mavenir is planning to become an end-to-end player.
  • The slow pace of investment by CSPs in vRAN and Open RAN solutions at scale has hampered Mavenir's growth.
  • Mavenir's market approach has been to focus on vRAN and not develop traditional purpose-built solutions. As a result, it has limited experience at scale with commercial 5G RAN. It also lacks long-term established relationships as a trusted RAN provider, and is not positioned to bid for the non-vRAN portion of 5G RAN, which continues to be a major investment focus for many CSPs.


• MTI - Niche Player
  

  Pros:

  • MTI's technology expertise in RF and microwave position it to become a bigger player in the Open RAN ecosystem. In addition, MTI is an active contributor to the O-RAN ALLIANCE and TIP projects.
  • With over 40 years as an OEM/ODM, MTI has developed capabilities in technical innovation, efficient production, quality control and customer support. Its flexible business model provides O-RUs directly to CSPs or indirectly through partners, enabling it to effectively meet diverse customer needs in the O-RAN market.
  • MTI's early engagements and achievements in the area of interoperability coordination with multiple BBU vendors are more advanced than those of other O-RU vendors.

  Cons:

  • As an OEM/ODM player and RF specialist with limited direct sales channels, MTI faces challenges in increasing its market visibility and establishing a robust local support network for CSPs, which hinder its ability to secure Tier 1 CSP contracts.
  • MTI's 5G RAN solution is in the early stages and not yet proven for large-scale rollouts. CSPs should assess its Open RAN products' quality, performance and support, and consider initial deployments in specific scenarios (e.g., 4G rural outdoor).
  • MTI has limited portfolios, offering only Open RAN RUs while lacking essential components like BBUs, massive MIMO and related services capabilities, which constrains its ability to service CSPs that need end-to-end offerings and primary system integration partners.


• NEC - Niche Player
  

  Pros:

  • NEC is a pioneer of Open RAN massive MIMO RUs, which have been commercially available since 2020. NEC is agile and flexible, based on situation and client demands. The company changed its global 5G strategy in 2023, announcing a shift of focus from Open RAN hardware to software, including vRAN, core and advanced operation management utilizing AI.
  • NEC has large-scale commercial 5G RAN deployment experience and announced various 5G deals and commercial deployments with CSPs over the past 12 months. While NEC has been selected by NTT DOCOMO as a vRAN vendor for its nationwide 5G network services in Japan, Freshwave, which is a neutral host operator in the U.K., and NEC have been selected for Project NAVIGATE. The aim of Project NAVIGATE is to deploy and validate a blueprint for multioperator neutral host solutions with Open RAN. Germany's 1&1 launched its commercial service in December 2023, and Vodafone in the U.K. upgraded its 5G Open RAN network by adopting NEC's massive MIMO RUs.
  • NEC and NTT DOCOMO announced their joint venture — OREX SAI — in 2024, to provide OREX packages, including OREX RAN, OREX Services and OREX SMO for Open RAN global deployments. This joint venture aims to combine each company's strengths, including NTT DOCOMO's Open RAN implementation expertise in Japan and R&D capabilities for Open RAN development and verification, and NEC's global footprint and capabilities for global system integration.

  Cons:

  • Due to NEC changing its global 5G strategy in 2023, its overseas businesses will be focused on smaller opportunities that already have pipelines. Related 5G investments will be reduced outside of Japan. This change could contribute to a degraded RU hardware portfolio and less support and engagement capabilities for CSPs and prospects.
  • Incumbent European CSPs — NEC's new customers — are lagging in the large-scale introduction of Open RAN/vRAN. Emerging Open RAN vendors, including NEC, seem to be neglecting the best-of-breed vision, competing instead for small wins without cooperation. NEC and Samsung, which had established a 5G partnership, have not provided any public reporting on their business progress or updates on results of their 5G partnership.
  • NEC's 5G infrastructure product portfolio, which includes multiband RUs, 5G BBU and millimeter wave (mmWave) support, is not as comprehensive as those of the Leaders in this Magic Quadrant, particularly outside Japan.


• Rakuten Symphony - Niche Player
  

  Pros:

  • Rakuten Symphony's use of Open RAN supply chain alignment and its portfolio of Open RAN, OSS, Cloud and AI solutions have enabled Rakuten Mobile to extend the coverage of its 4G Open vRAN to cover 98.8% of the population of Japan. It has established 60,000 base station sites in the past four years and deployed more than 10,000 5G base stations in the past three years. Rakuten Symphony also aims to maintain a consistent operational headcount by automating operational, business and management processes. This early best practice contributed to Rakuten Symphony's first Open vRAN deal with a CSP, namely, 1&1 in Germany.
  • Altiostar Networks, which was acquired by Rakuten Group in August 2021, was a leading vRAN vendor. This acquisition has expanded Rakuten Symphony's Open RAN/vRAN portfolio, primarily by adding 4G and 5G vRAN capabilities, which were missing from the company's own product portfolio.
  • Rakuten Symphony's strength includes its agility and flexibility. The company launched its Real Open RAN Licensing Program in February 2024 to accelerate global Open RAN adoption.

  Cons:

  • Rakuten Symphony's limited telecom expertise led to the commercial network deployments for both Rakuten Mobile and 1&1 falling behind the original schedules committed to regulators. CSPs should be sensitive about the difference between the company's vision and its real products, solutions, execution of deployment plans, and delivery and operation capabilities.
  • Rakuten Group's mobile business, which includes Rakuten Mobile and Rakuten Symphony, has announced its intention to be profitable in 2024. Further cost controls and reductions are expected, along with increased product and service prices, which may reduce Rakuten Symphony's competitiveness and lead to the postponement of new product and service launches.
  • Product-oriented, preintegrated and preconfigured solutions derived from specific vendor combinations by the Rakuten Mobile commercial network in Japan are unlikely to attract many CSPs that are considering Open RAN to mitigate vendor lock-in or have different mixes of needs and scenarios.


• Samsung - Visionary
  

  Pros:

  • Samsung contributed to the world's earliest massive commercial adoption of 5G in South Korea, leading in market share among the top three local CSPs. Given its leading experience in South Korea, Samsung has driven advanced features and capabilities, such as massive MIMO RUs, in-house chipsets and virtualized solutions, which translate well to other markets.
  • Samsung is one of the most influential Open RAN and vRAN innovators. It has won several major commercial deployment deals, including 5G stand-alone Open vRAN at KDDI, 5G Open RAN at NTT DOCOMO, vRAN at Verizon, Open vRAN at DISH Network, and Open vRAN at TELUS. It has also expanded its prior Open vRAN agreements with Vodafone in the U.K., and Romania and Germany.
  • With its flexible approach to network solutions, supporting various architectural approaches (e.g., single RAN vendor, multivendor or vRAN), Samsung has the potential to become another vendor partner for CSPs. This is especially the case for CSPs that have struggled to find multiple vendor partners for their 5G networks.

  Cons:

  • Samsung has a smaller global scale than the Leaders in this Magic Quadrant and thus, may not be as suitable for all global markets.
  • Incumbent European CSPs — Samsung's new customers — are lagging in large-scale introduction of Open RAN/vRAN. Emerging Open RAN vendors, including Samsung, seem to be neglecting the best-of-breed vision, instead competing for small wins without cooperation. Samsung and NEC, which had established a 5G partnership, have not provided any public reporting on business progress or updates on results of their 5G partnership.
  • Samsung's 5G infrastructure product portfolio, which includes multiband RUs, active-passive antenna and 2G/3G support via its BBU, is not as comprehensive as that of the Leaders in this Magic Quadrant, especially outside South Korea.


• ZTE - Visionary
  

  Pros:

  • ZTE offers a strong 5G RAN product portfolio, including massive MIMO RUs, multiband RUs, purpose-built BBUs, small cell series such as Qcell for indoor and Pad series for outdoor, as well as related services. This diverse range caters to a wide variety of customer use cases and deployment scenarios at competitive prices.
  • Powered by strong R&D capabilities, ZTE is one of the major technological innovators in the 5G network infrastructure space. Its continued investment in enhanced 5G technologies and innovative features, such as Radio Composer, cloud platform, SuperDSS, and SuperMIMO and PowerPilot Pro, enables it to deliver intelligent, energy-efficient and high-performance solutions to its customers.
  • ZTE is a reliable partner in China and various global markets such as Southeast Asia, Europe and Africa, due to its strong deployment expertise, ability to customize solutions, and quick response to customer requests. ZTE's participation in large-scale and complex stand-alone 5G rollouts in China has enabled it to quickly mature its products and service capability.

  Cons:

  • ZTE faces challenges in securing 5G contracts outside China due to ongoing geopolitical issues and security concerns about its network equipment. This limits its market exposure in regions such as North America, Europe and parts of Asia.
  • ZTE's brand recognition and mind share among CSPs and its overall industry influence are lower than those of Leaders in this Magic Quadrant. The company relies mainly on the Chinese market, which has limited its go-to-market and contract-winning capabilities.
  • ZTE has been slow to support emerging technology such as Open RAN and vRAN, which restricts its opportunities to engage in strategic Open RAN/vRAN projects pursued by various CSPs, potentially limiting its market reach in these emerging areas.

Reference

• Gartner, Magic Quadrant for CSP 5G RAN Infrastructure Solutions, 1 July 2024, ID G00807107

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