According to ABI Research, the small cell backhaul equipment market is expected to grow from $487 million in 2013 to over $5,000 million in 2018 registering a compound annual growth (CAGR) of 48 per cent.
The sub 6 GHz technology will account for over 47 per cent of the market in 2018, whereas millimeter wave technology will emerge as the fastest growing technology between 2013 and 2018. The millimeter wave technology-based equipment market is expected to grow at a CAGR of 113 per cent and reach $668 million by 2018. The microwave technology-based equipments will continue to be the first choice for the rollout of small cell backhaul applications. The microwave technology-based equipments are forecast to reach $1.8 billion in 2018.
ABI Research states that going forward the key growth driver for the microwave and fibre-based backhaul growth is going to be the launch of 4G small-cell based networks in metropolitan. The backhaul market for the 4G small cell-based networks is expected to reach $3.1 billion in 2018.
