A recent analysis by EJL Wireless Research, titled “U.S. Outdoor Small Cell Antenna Market Analysis and Forecast, 2018-2022 1st Edition,” reports that shipments of outdoor small cell antennas in the United States rose by 84% in 2017. The firm forecasts continued strong growth, projecting a 75% increase in 2018 driven by rising demand from the four national mobile network operators and neutral host providers.
EJL’s study identifies Alpha Wireless as the leading vendor by shipment volume in 2017, followed by Ericsson and Galtronics. The report notes that quasi-omni antennas generated the highest revenues that year, while panel antennas accounted for the largest share of units shipped.
American carriers are actively developing outdoor small cell strategies, and antenna designs are evolving similarly to macrocell base station antennas with higher port counts. Antenna port counts are increasing to support multiple frequency bands, including traditional cellular bands (700/800 MHz), PCS (1900 MHz), AWS/WCS (2100/2300 MHz), and newer bands such as 3.5 GHz for CBRS and 5.8 GHz for licensed assisted access (LAA). In addition, support for 2×2 and 4×4 MIMO configurations is a key factor driving higher port counts.
Separate research from IHS Markit published last October estimated that outdoor small cell backhaul connections exceeded 63,000 in 2016 and could reach nearly 560,000 by 2021. For context, the overall mobile backhaul equipment market was valued at $8.2 billion in 2016, while the small cell backhaul segment accounted for just over $148 million that year.
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