Preliminary findings reveal that after two years of steep declines, market conditions improved in the quarter, according to a new report from Dell’Oro Group. Preliminary estimates show that worldwide Radio Access Network (RAN) revenue, excluding services, stabilized year-over-year, resulting in the first growth quarter since 1Q 2023.
“We attribute the improved conditions to favorable regional mix and lighter comps, rather than a change to the fundamentals that shape this market,” said Stefan Pongratz, Vice President for RAN market research at the Dell’Oro Group. “While it is exciting that RAN came in as expected and the full year outlook remains on track, the message we have communicated for some time now has not changed. The RAN market is still growth-challenged as regional 5G coverage imbalances, slower data traffic growth, and monetization challenges continue to weigh on the broader growth prospects,” continued Pongratz.
Additional highlights from the 1Q 2025 RAN report:
- Strong growth in North America was enough to offset declines in CALA, China, and MEA.
- The picture is less favorable outside of North America. RAN, excluding North America, recorded a fifth consecutive quarter of declines.
- Revenue rankings did not change in 1Q 2025. The top 5 RAN suppliers (4-Quarter Trailing) based on worldwide revenues are Huawei, Ericsson, Nokia, ZTE, and Samsung.
- The top 5 RAN (4-Quarter Trailing) suppliers based on revenues outside of China are Ericsson, Nokia, Huawei, Samsung, and ZTE.
- The short-term outlook is mostly unchanged, with total RAN expected to remain stable in 2025 and RAN outside of Chinagrowing at a modest pace.