Stefan Pongratz

Vice President

The use of intelligence in the RAN is not new—4G and 5G deployments rely heavily on automation and intelligence to replace manual tasks, automate the RAN, manage increasing complexity, enhance performance, and control costs. What is new, however, is the rapid proliferation of AI and generative AI, along with a shifting mindset toward leveraging AI in cellular networks. More importantly, the scope of AI’s role in the RAN is expanding, with operators now looking beyond efficiency gains and performance improvements, cautiously exploring whether AI can be monetized. The broader AI RAN opportunity goes beyond the traditional RAN market we track, including RAN automation and AI-enabled applications.

AI RAN integrates AI and machine learning (ML) across various aspects of the RAN domain. The AI RAN scope in this report is aligned with the greater industry vision. While the broader AI RAN vision includes services and infrastructure, the projections in this report focus on the RAN equipment market.

The report addresses such questions as:

  • What is the AI RAN vision?
  • What is the value of AI RAN?
  • How will AI RAN impact the RAN vendor landscape?
  • How big is the AI RAN market opportunity?
  • What type of AI RAN will the operators target?
  • Is AI RAN more for 5G or 6G?
  • What implementations will dominate over the next five years?