In 2011, the mobile infrastructure RAN market recorded its strongest full-year revenue growth since 2004. – up 15% over 2010 — according to a recently published report by Dell’Oro Group. The strong momentum that drove the mobile infrastructure RAN market in the first three quarters of 2011 slowed down significantly in 4Q11 paving the way for slower growth in 2012.
“While operators in North America maintained capex guidance for 2011 and front end loaded investments were expected, it was the shift in product mix from capacity to LTE coverage that resulted in weaker than anticipated wireless infrastructure investments,” commented Stefan Pongratz, Analyst of Mobile Infrastructure research at Dell’Oro Group. “The product mix will have a large impact on the equipment market in 2012. LTE RAN investments accounted for 40 percent of global mobile RAN growth in 2011 and there are no major signs yet of operators holding back LTE rollouts as a result of a challenging macro economic environment,” continued Pongratz.
