Spirent Releases 5G Outlook Report
Spirent Communications has published its 5G outlook report, based on analysis from over 600 global 5G engagements.
The “5G 2021: Market Drivers, Insights & Consideration” report provides insights from across the 5G eco-system on the current status of 5G, illustrating the accelerated timetables from service providers in upgrading to 5G standalone (SA) with the new 5G Core and revealing how 5G is driving new initiatives and sector engagements.
“2020 was certainly a year to remember, not just because of the unprecedented challenges presented by COVID-19, but also because of the rapid development for the telecom industry,” said Spirent Head of 5G Strategy, Steve Douglas. “Telecom is keeping its sights firmly focused on 5G’s future, not despite the challenges of the pandemic, but because of them, and our latest report gives an unparalleled view of the current status of 5G and the trends we’re seeing for the year ahead, based on the investments, research, testing and innovation by the leading 5G players.”
“In many ways, the pandemic has accelerated trends that we hadn’t anticipated gaining steam for at least another couple of years,” said Douglas, “whether fixed wireless access is driven by working from home or automation required to safely conduct field testing with limited personnel. While there were delays, by and large, 5G powered ahead and remained in control of its destiny.”
Key findings from the report include:
- 5G SA core timetables accelerated rapidly: 5G activity surged in 2020 with accelerated timetables from service providers to deliver 5G SA core deployments, following non-standalone’s (NSAs) inability to really wow customers and deliver a solid new revenue proposition.
- Because 5G is moving so fast, operators are turning to partners to deliver key elements: Through service contracts, elements that would previously have been delivered in-house are now being delivered by trusted partners.
- 5G is driving new initiatives and engagements: The year saw notable growth in engagements with government, military and academia around 5G experimentation and security initiatives, as governments explore new use cases
- Automated Assurance and 5G are the new dynamic duo: Whether it was a core network buildout, lab certification, or new service delivered, 5G plus Automated Assurance were the dynamic duo that customers turned to as they sought to continue pushing forward with their 5G plans, with 80% of Spirent’s assurance business focused on 5G work.
- The trend of accelerated timetables is here to stay: While the pandemic has undoubtedly accelerated 5G timetables, it seems likely this accelerated trend is here to stay.
