The global point to point (PTP) radio market declined by 13.6% in 2013, according to the latest report from EJL Wireless Research titled “Global Digital PTP Radio Market Analysis and Forecast, 2014-2018 10th Edition.” “The mobile backhaul market remained weak in 2013, impacting overall shipments. However we are see the shift towards Gb radios across different application market segments which should drive demand going forward,” says founder and President,Earl Lum. EJL ireless Research is forecasting that the PTP radio market will see a choppy outlook through 2018. Small cell backhaul shipments should continue to increase in volumes in 2014 and ramp through 2018, offsetting weakness from the legacy macrocell BTS market.

Some key and notable facts from the analysis include:

  • EJL Wireless Research LLC was correct in predicting demand for all indoor trunk radios for 2013 with a forecast variance of 4.9%
  • EJL Wireless Research LLC was correct in predicting demand for hybrid 50-900Mb radios for 2013 with a forecast variance of 3.3%
  • EJL Wireless Research LLC was correct in predicting demand for the North America region for 2013 with a forecast variance of 4.9%
  • EJL Wireless Research LLC was correct in predicting demand for the Africa region for 2013 with a forecast variance of 9.9%

These data points continue to support our proprietary modeling philosophy and leadership position in forecasting capability within the wireless infrastructure market and the granularity in quantitative details we can provide to our global client base.

“Ericsson managed to stay just ahead of arch rival Huawei Technologies again in2013 and it remains a battle between these two vendors for the top spot each year. We are excited to see SIAE Microelettronica SpA move up to number four in the market,” says Lum.

“Europe remained the top region but weakness resulted in a 20% decline in shipments” says Lum. Asia Pacific was also weak as shipments declined in China, India, and Indonesia.. The 60/70/80GHz radio shipments increased by 156% in 2013 due to increasing demand in Europe.

Some key predictions from EJL Wireless Research LLC for 2014:

  • Global PTP radio shipments will be down 7%
  • High capacity 50-900Mb Ethernet PTP radios will grow 40%
  • The 60/70/80GHz radio segment will increase by 78%
  • Line of sight (LoS) multipoint to multipoint (MPTMP) radios are in the near term the best positioned wireless backhaul technology for outdoor small cells, followed by LoS 60GHz PTP radios.

The report provides a unique perspective on the global shipments and demand for PTP radio equipment covering all vendors including Alcatel-Lucent, Aviat Networks, BridgeWave Communications, Ceragon Networks, DragonWave, Ericsson, Huawei Technologies, NEC, SIAE Microelettronica, Siklu Communication, and ZTE.

The top suppliers by overall PTP shipments as well as by digital standards and radio capacity for 2013 were:

Overall #1 PTP Radio Supplier: Ericsson AB

Overall #1 2-50Mb Radio Supplier: Aviat Networks

Overall #1 Trunk/Indoor Radio Supplier: Ceragon Networks

Overall #1 50-900Mb Radio Supplier: Ericsson AB

Overall #1 Gb Radio Supplier: SIAE Microelettronica SpA

Overall #1 UHFHC Radio Supplier: Huawei Technologies