Gartner says worldwide 5G network infrastructure revenue to grow 39% in 2021

Worldwide 5G network infrastructure revenue is on pace to grow 39 per cent to total $19.1bn in 2021, up from $13.7bn in 2020, according to the latest forecast by Gartner.

Michael Porowski, senior principal research analyst at Gartner said that the Covid-19 pandemic has spiked demand for optimised and ultrafast broadband connectivity to support work from home and bandwidth-hungry applications, such as streaming video, online gaming and social media applications.

CSPs in North America are set to grow 5G revenue from $2.9bn in 2020 to $4.3bn in 2021, due, in part, to increased adoption of dynamic spectrum sharing and millimetre wave base stations.

In Western Europe, CSPs will prioritise on licencing spectrum, modernising mobile core infrastructure and navigating regulatory processes with 5G revenue expected to increase from $794m in 2020 to $1.6bn in 2021. Greater China is expected to maintain the number one global position in global 5G revenue reaching $9.1bn in 2021, up from $7.4bn in 2020.

“Business and customer demand is an influencing factor in this growth. As consumers return to the office, they will continue to upgrade or switch to gigabit fibre to the home (FTTH) service as connectivity has become an essential remote work service,” said Porowski. “Users will also increasingly scrutinise CSPs for both office and remote work needs.”