Increasing competition and new technologies in the unlicensed and shared spectrum segment of the wireless market will result in a proliferation of wireless service offerings, according to an unlicensed wireless communications forecast from Mobile Experts. This momentum will impact the wireless equipment sector, as more carriers embrace wireless technology to deliver broadband.

Unlicensed Wireless Communications Forecast

Mobile Experts forecasts the LTE-based carrier unlicensed radio equipment market, including LAA, CBRS, and MulteFire, to grow quickly to over $1.6 billion in 2023, when it will have an 80% share of the overall carrier unlicensed radio market (for mobile and nomadic applications) – up from a current 22% share.

Researchers expect standalone access point segment of the carrier unlicensed radio infrastructure market based on Wi-Fi is expected to trend downward in the near term. But cable operators and wireless ISPs will continue to deploy Wi-Fi as the transition to 802.11ax gains traction. Mobile operators will use LAA in hotspot locations to increase network capacity for Gigabit LTE services. Most U.S. players are thinking about investing in CBRS/OnGo infrastructure, the press release says.

Growth in the LTE-based unlicensed and shared spectrum segment—like CBRS and MulteFire—will not meaningfully impact the Enterprise WLAN market, however, according to a Mobile Experts press release.