The small cell share of the total RAN market has grown from less than 5 percent in 2014 to 10-15 percent in 2019, according to research by Dell’Oro Group, and it is expected to fall between 15 percent to 20 percent in 2024.

Pekka Lundmark has a lot resting on his shoulders. As chief executive officer of Nokia Oyj, he’s tasked with turning around the stuttering telecoms giant’s fortunes before it misses out on the 5G revolution. Also riding on his success, however, is the ability of the world’s industrialized economies to compete with China.

“Mavenir’s solutions appear to be resonating with service providers at just the right time as service providers look for ways to monetize their networks, to upgrade their networks, and look for alternatives to traditional vendors,” wrote Dell’Oro analyst Dave Bolan in response to questions from Light Reading.

“Sales slowed in North America following a strong first half of the year,” explained Jimmy Yu, vice president at Dell’Oro Group. “Whether it was due to network demand caused by people working and studying from home or new projects at the beginning of the year, the demand for optical equipment in the region rose 11% in the first half of 2020.

Stefan Pongratz, Vice President of Dell’Oro Group, an independent market analysis, and research firm, says that the increased complexity with the various 5G technologies in combination with the shift towards Open RAN will potentially introduce new challenges to CSP operational teams tasked with managing end-to-end performance.