5G will usher into existence many new capabilities, not the least of which is ultra-reliable, low-latency communications thanks to use of new millimeter wave based radio equipment. This new radio access network infrastructure is referred to as 5G New Radio (5G NR).
While smart antennas are extremely important for voice over 5G (Vo5G) in terms of continuous coverage, they are an absolute requirement for 5G NR next generation application mobility, said Mind Commerce. The market research firm sees 5G NR largely within a metropolitan area, particularly in smart cities. Smart antenna systems will be a key component to ensure mobile application usage within a given municipality. This will be accomplished through use of antenna arrays and advanced beamforming technologies.
The anticipated global market for SIMO (Single Input Multiple Output), MISO (Multiple Input Single Output), and MIMO (Multiple Input Multiple Output) 5G smart antennas will be $1.7M, $1.4M, and $1.3M respectively by 2023. These systems will support a variety of applications including many advanced enterprise solutions and industrial automation services.
Along with edge computing and network slicing, smart antennas are a critical component to support Service Level Agreements (SLA) and provide committed Quality of Service (QoS) for enterprise customers and Quality of Experience (QoE) for all end-users. This includes integration of Vo5G as the voice communications component of many advanced 5G enabled services such as virtual reality.
In addition, smart antennas will ensure property concentration of radio resources for many critical business solutions such as telerobotics, which will also rely upon voice control as a portion of its user interface and therefore also require Vo5G integration.
Mind Commerce sees the global market for switched multi-beam 5G smart antenna solutions exceeding $1B by 2023. However, adaptive array systems will grow roughly 50% faster than multi-beam technology, eventually overtaking market share.
