The market for small cell backhaul equipment to grow to over $5 billion (€3.65 billion) in 2018, up from a forecast $487 million for 2013 representing a 48 per cent CAGR, according to latest research by ABI. The company added that LTE small cell solutions will again drive most of the microwave and fibre backhaul growth in metropolitan, urban, and suburban areas with backhaul for LTE small cells reaching a value of $3.1 billion in 2018, growing at two times the rate for 3G and surpassing 3G in 2016.
Sub-6GHz technology will capture over 47 per cent of small cell backhaul equipment revenue, or $2.4 billion with 31 per cent of last mile links in 2018, while millimeter wave technology becomes the fastest growing technology over the forecast period, growing at 113 per cent CAGR to reach a value of $668 million. Traditional microwave equipment remains a top technology for small cell backhaul applications with a 34 per cent share of revenue or almost $1.8 billion and 25 per cent share of links in 2018. Report