Self-Organizing Networks: Market Analysis and Forecasts

Network planning and on-going optimization is an imperative aspect for any wireless carrier in order to ensure acceptable levels of service for users, thereby reducing churn. Now, with the boom in mobile broadband infrastructure deployments, Self-Organizing Network (SON) solutions promise to automate the planning, configuration and on-going optimization of Radio Access Networks (RANs). ARCchart estimates that SON in its full implementation, as defined by the 3GPP, can automate as many as 60% of all tasks typically performed by a RAN optimization engineer.

A Self-Organizing Network is a network that can automatically configure and continuously optimize the parameters of its sub-elements with the aim of optimising network performance, capacity and coverage.

This report provides a global assessment of the SON market. In addition to assessing the key market trends, vendor strategies and the industry’s future roadmap, the report quantifies OpEx and CapEx savings possible through the implementation of SON, and provides detailed market forecasts for SON software revenues from 2012 through to 2017, from both global and regional perspectives. The report also considers revenues for the legacy RAN planning & optimization software market. Historical figures are also provided for 2011.

Topics of coverage include:

RAN planning and optimization
SON business case
Factors driving the SON market
Challenges to the SON ecosystem
SON functional areas and implementation architectures
Future roadmap of the SON industry
Profiles of key SON software vendors
Wireless Network and HetNet Infrastructure Spending
Market sizing and forecast
Companies and organisations mentioned, discussed or reviewed include:
Actix
Aircom International
Airhop Communications
Alcatel-Lucent
América Móvil
Argela
Aricent Group
Arieso
Ascom
Astellia
AT&T
ATDI
Broadcomm
Bytemobile
CalorinaWest Wireless
Celcite
Celtro
China Mobile
Cisco
Citrix
Clearwire
Comarch
Commsquare
Continuous Computing
Eden Rock Communications
Ericsson
Etisalat
Everything Everywhere
France Telecom (Orange)
Globe Telecom Phillipines
Huawei
Hutchison (Three)
InfoVista
InterDigital
Intucell
KDDI
Korea Telecom
LG Uplus
MegaFon
Mentum
MetroPCS
Mosaic Telecom
MTN
MTS Russia
MTS Ukraine
NEC
NetLogic Microsystems
Newfield Wireless
Nokia Siemens Networks
picoChip
Plano Engineering
Portugal Telecom
Radisys
Reliance Communications
Reverb Networks
Rorotika
Samsung
Schema
SK Telecom
Swisscom
Symena
Telcel
Telefónica O2
Telenor
TeliaSonera
Telus
Teoco
Texas Instruments
Theta Networks
T-Mobile
TTG International
Tulinx
Turkish Telecom
Verizon Wireless
VimpleCom
Vodafone
Wazco
WeGoes
Xceed Technologies
Zain
ZTE

Answers and opinions are provided with respect to the following essential questions:

How will LTE and HetNet Infrastructure deployments drive the SON software market?
How will SON impact the traditional RAN planning and optimization consultancy market?
What percentage of RAN planning, optimization and monitoring tasks can SON automate?
How does SON software revenue compare with spending on traditional RAN planning and optimization software?
Which region represents the largest SON market opportunity?
How much OpEx and CapEx savings can mobile network operators attain from SON, and how will these savings vary regionally?
Which region will experience the fastest growth in SON adoption?
What extent of energy savings can mobile network operators expect from SON implementation?