Huawei named leader in 5G radio access network

Huawei has gained the top position in the second half (H2) of 2019 and remained the clear leader across the entire 5G radio access network (RAN) portfolio, said GlobalData, a global data analytics and consulting company.

The criteria categories employed in the 5G RAN competitive assessment include baseband unit (BBU) capacity, Radio Unit portfolio, installation ease, and technology evolution, according to Global Data’s 5G RAN: Competitive Landscape Assessment report.

The assessment concluded that Huawei’s 5G RAN portfolio held the strongest overall leadership position, achieving a rating of Leader across all four evaluated criteria.

Huawei boasts the industry’s most complete 5G Radio Unit product portfolio. A total of 94 Radio Unit products are supported, including 22 Massive MIMO models, 32 integrated antenna models, and 14 dual-band models (referring to these capable of operating on two bands).

Huawei holds the top position in all four dimensions. In addition, Huawei’s 5G RAN Radio Unit products support 35 NR bands, the industry’s most powerful support capabilities, enabling operators to better serve their subscribers.

Huawei boasts the industry’s most streamlined and flexible 5G RAN deployment. Apart from clear leadership across traditional installation criteria (such as product weight and dimensions), Huawei also delivers multiple novel solutions to ensure quick, simplified 5G deployments. One example is Super BladeSite, which solves 5G deployment challenges in cases where antenna space is extremely limited, while also reducing the dependence of site devices on equipment rooms and air conditioning facilities.

Huawei delivers the industry’s most powerful BBU capabilities. Huawei’s BBU products supports 36 cells with a bandwidth of 100 MHz on the sub-6 GHz and 36 cells with a bandwidth of 400 MHz on the mmWave band. Such high BBU capacity puts global operators in very strong position to deal with increasingly demanding traffic growth well into the future.

The assessment serves as both a guide for mobile operators when selecting 5G RAN suppliers and a tool for vendors to assess their own competitiveness over products and solutions. The assessment also examines trends and drivers of 5G RAN markets. The constantly increasing data speed demanded by mobile users is a major driver for telecom operators to improve service experiences and avoid user churn.

The extraordinary network capabilities of 5G will become an essential foundation for promoting digital transformation across vertical industries, which will in return drive the further commercial adoption of 5G networks. Fixed wireless broadband in homes and enterprises will also become typical use cases as we advance further into the 5G era.