- Wide-area private wireless deployments grew faster than campus network projects
- Businesses are exploring alternatives to Wi-Fi and public mobile networks for secure, high-performance connectivity
- Huawei, Nokia, and Ericsson were the top global private RAN suppliers in 2024
The private wireless market saw impressive momentum in 2024, with radio access network (RAN) revenues growing more than 40% year-over-year, according to Dell’Oro Group’s latest forecast. This outpaced earlier projections, suggesting enterprises are starting to embrace private 5G and LTE networks at a faster rate than expected.
“Private wireless is currently one of the more exciting RAN segments,” said Stefan Pongratz, Vice President at Dell’Oro Group. He noted that while it’s still early in the private cellular journey, enterprise interest is gaining traction, particularly as businesses explore alternatives to Wi-Fi and public mobile networks for secure, high-performance connectivity.
Wide-area private wireless
The report highlights that wide-area private wireless deployments grew faster than campus network projects in 2024 — a shift that underscores growing interest in large-scale industrial and public sector use cases. While the market remains nascent, Dell’Oro estimates that private wireless now accounts for roughly 3–5% of the total RAN market.
Huawei, Nokia, and Ericsson were the top global private RAN suppliers in 2024, with Huawei leading in wide-area deployments and Nokia taking the top spot in campus network installations. Samsung also made the top three list when excluding China, reflecting its rising profile in global enterprise 5G projects.
The long-term outlook remains strong. Dell’Oro forecasts that private wireless RAN revenues will grow at a 15–20% compound annual growth rate (CAGR) through 2029, eventually accounting for 5–10% of the total RAN market. In contrast, public RAN is expected to see a slight decline, with a projected -1% CAGR over the same period.
Untapped opportunity
Despite the optimism, the report cautions that widespread enterprise adoption will take time. Challenges around integration, device availability, and ecosystem maturity still exist, but the upside remains compelling — especially with a $20 billion-plus enterprise RAN opportunity largely untapped.
Ed. Note: This article was written with the help of GenAI.