Enterprise interest in 5G has greatly increased since the pandemic began, pulling forward adoption timelines

Global 2000 companies and governments will drive the vast majority of spend on private 5G infrastructure

Global 2000-sized companies and governments have the scale, financial resources and technical acumen to handle the complexity of 5G and realize its full benefits. TBR estimates over 90% of private 5G investment will stem from these entities through mid-decade, at which point network slicing, solution maturity and lower price points will enable SMBs to participate more pervasively in the 5G opportunity. TBR expects most SMBs seeking 5G will leverage public infrastructure for their needs as the cost and complexity of private 5G will be too much for many of these smaller companies to handle.

Leading enterprises intend to fundamentally transform their operations by converging IT and operational technology with 5G, edge computing, AI and machine learning, and IoT.

Manufacturers and governments are expected to be among the largest investors in private 5G networks through mid-decade.

Software upgradability of private LTE systems to 5G will enable some enterprises to accelerate their migration to 5G

A large portion of the global private LTE install base is software upgradable to 5G, which will hasten some enterprises’ move to 5G, but the timing of these upgrades will be contingent on 5G device readiness.

TBR expects leading enterprises will upgrade their private LTE systems starting in 2021 as compatible devices and 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) features from Releases 16 and 17 become available. This upgrade cycle is a key factor in why the private 5G market size will be able to scale in the early years of the forecast period.

TBR’s Private Cellular Networks Market Forecast, which is global in scope, details private cellular network spending trends among enterprises and governments, particularly as it pertains to 5G. The report includes current-year market sizing and a five-year forecast of the private cellular networks opportunity by vertical, by provider type and by region.