Operator 5G Engagements Increase by More Than 50%, Driven by Standalone Core, Network Cloudification and Operational Agility

Rhea-AI Summary

Spirent Communications has released its third annual 5G outlook report, highlighting the acceleration of 5G rollouts and service assurance. The report analyzes over 800 global 5G engagements from 2021, noting a 50% increase in service provider engagements. Key findings include over 40% growth in the Americas and 60% in EMEA. Spirent's cloud-native testing strategies are showing increased demand, and the company anticipates private 5G networks to grow significantly. The report is available for download on Spirent's website.

Positive

• Service provider engagements increased by 50% year-on-year.
• Americas 5G business grew over 40%, and EMEA saw 60% growth.
• Cloud-native testing strategies are in high demand among service providers.
• Spirent engaged with more than 40 unique operators, indicating strong market presence.
• Estimated growth of private 5G networks from 3,000 to over 14,000 in a few years.

Negative

• None.

Spirent’s annual 5G Report shows rollouts accelerating and Service Assurance rapidly gathering pace

HOLMDEL, N.J.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Spirent Communications plc (LSE:SPT), the leading provider of test and assurance solutions for next-generation devices and networks, today released its third annual 5G outlook report, based on analysis and takeaways from over 800 new global 5G engagements in 2021. The “5G 2022: Market Drivers, Insights & Considerations” report provides insights from across the 5G ecosystem on the current status of 5G, revealing geographic trends, technology advancements and revenue-generating use cases. The report is available here www.spirent.com/assets/the-spirent-2022-5g-report.

“Spirent has embarked on 1,800 5G engagements to date. In 2021 we saw service provider engagements increase by more than 50% year-on-year as customers race to make 5G a reality,” said Spirent’s Head of Market Strategy, Steve Douglas. “Market competition intensified, and the impact of the pandemic accelerated business automation plans. As a result, service providers established early partnerships with public cloud providers, and almost half of service provider activity focused on service assurance and service experience, including competitive benchmarking.

“It’s clear that the cloud-native and continuous testing automation strategy Spirent is able to offer is proving highly desirable to service providers, enabling us to become a critical 5G partner. By moving test labs and testing activity into the Cloud, operators are able to accelerate their software and innovation lifecycles from months, or even years, to just a matter of weeks.”

The report draws on Spirent’s work with service providers, network equipment manufacturers, governments, device makers and cloud players worldwide. It provides an update on the developments along the journey to global 5G. Key findings from the report include:

• Geographic Trends – Spirent’s 5G business in the Americas grew by more than 40% in 2021, with a focus on service assurance, standalone (SA) core, cloud testing and service experience. The EMEA market saw more than 60% growth in engagements, after pandemic-induced delays in 2020. Attention centered on the 5G core and automation. With China taking the lead in the APAC region, network coverage, densification and subscriber growth continued to drive demand for multi-speed transport network and device testing.
• Revenue-Generating Use Cases – Operators are evaluating key areas where they can mine meaningful revenues. These include Fixed Wireless Access (FWA), mobile multi-player gaming, augmented and virtual reality, security surveillance, content delivery networks, 5G speed boosters and 5G multi-view experiences.
• 5G Core and Cloud – Spirent is engaged with more than 40 unique operators worldwide, including multi-country providers. There have been at least 19 small commercial SA launches to date, with more than 90 trials and vendor selection processes underway. And where there’s core, there’s cloud. Core and cloud combined now represent more than one-third of Spirent’s 5G work.
• Private 5G Networks – Spirent estimates that the number of private LTE or 5G networks will explode from around 3,000 today to more than 14,000 in just a few years. The growth will be driven by trends including enterprise digitalization strategies advanced by 5G and Wi-Fi 6 convergence, capitalizing on breakthrough technologies across IoT, big data analytics and intelligent automation.
• 6G Vision - The industry is beginning to coalesce around key ambitions. Chief among them is the combination of physical, digital, and biological worlds into metaverse-like realms where holographic, tactile feedback and physiological sensations can be transmitted. Remote operation of industrial machinery and virtual teleportation represent the earliest conceptions of possibilities.

Spirent’s “5G 2022: Market Drivers, Insights & Consideration” is available for download at https://www.spirent.com/assets/the-spirent-2022-5g-report.

About Spirent
Spirent Communications plc. (LSE: SPT) is the leading global provider of automated test and assurance solutions for networks, cybersecurity, and positioning. The company provides innovative products, services and managed solutions that address the test, assurance and automation challenges of a new generation of technologies, including 5G, SD-WAN, cloud, autonomous vehicles and beyond. From the lab to the real world, Spirent helps companies deliver on their promise to their customers of a new generation of connected devices and technologies. For more information, please visit www.spirent.com and follow us on LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20220210005153/en/

MEDIA:

Americas:

Sherri Walkenhorst

Connect Marketing

T: +1-801-373-7888

sherriw@connectmarketing.com

Asia Pacific:

Janet Peng

Spirent Communications

T: +86 (10) 823 30055 (x160)

janet.peng@spirent.com

EMEA:

Anne Harding

The Message Machine

T: +44-7887-682943

anne@themessagemachine.com

Source: Spirent Communications plc

FAQ

What insights does Spirent's 5G report provide for 2022?

Spirent's 5G report includes geographic trends, revenue-generating use cases, and the growth of private networks.

How much did service provider engagements increase according to Spirent's report?

Service provider engagements increased by more than 50% year-on-year in 2021.

What is the projected growth for private 5G networks?

Private LTE or 5G networks are projected to grow from around 3,000 to over 14,000 in a few years.

How much did Spirent's 5G business grow in the Americas?

Spirent's 5G business in the Americas grew by more than 40% in 2021.

What percentage of Spirent's 5G work is related to core and cloud?

Core and cloud combined now represent more than one-third of Spirent's 5G work.