Private Wireless Sales 'Slightly Weaker' Than Projected: Dell'Oro

Private wireless revenue last year was “slightly weaker” than projected, leading to a downward outlook revision, Dell’Oro Group said Friday. “The markdown is more driven by the challenges of converting these initial trials to commercial deployments than a sign that demand is subsiding,” said Vice President Stefan Pongratz. “Indicators suggest private wireless activity is firming up.” Private wireless radio access network revenue, including macro and small cells, is still likely to double 2021-26, with LTE dominating the market and 5G gaining share, Dell’Oro said. “The successful launch of private 5G services by suppliers with strong enterprise channels could accelerate the private 5G market at a faster pace than expected,” the firm said: “5G awareness is improving but it will take some time for enterprises to fully understand the value of private LTE/5G.” Dell’Oro said in a second report that Wi-Fi 6E, which uses 6 GHz, is growing more slowly than expected. “Although manufacturers launched Wi-Fi 6E products in mid-2021, products are either not available, or they are in very limited supply,” Dell’Oro said: “Supply constraints have prompted manufacturers to focus on enabling the availability of popular models by re-designing these models with components that are more readily available.”