Spending on cellular stations, fiber optic cables, and wireless access points is increasing, according to a recent report from research firm Dell’Oro Group. Even though wireless carriers are working to make networks more efficient and lower-cost, the market for communications equipment will grow over the next five years.
The market for telecommunications equipment is expected to surpass $500 billion between 2014 and 2019, according to the report, around $26 billion more than the market earned in the previous five years. The report also said that spending on wireless infrastructure, especially small cells and heterogeneous networks, is also rising.
Many companies, like Alcatel-Lucent, are seeking more efficient ways to manage wireless traffic. They are using virtualized radio access networks to shift processing to distributed radio receivers like small cells, managing traffic with cloud-based virtual machines. The goal is not only to optimize network capacity, but also to reduce the amount of expensive fiber optic cable that wireless carriers need to install.