Massive MIMO is poised to strengthen its role within 5G RAN and is expected to triple its growth rate across all markets, with annual installations increasing from 930,000 in 2023 to 3.07 million by 2031. By that year, the global deployment of mMIMO units is projected to reach around 22 million.
Installations will be predominantly concentrated in densely populated urban areas, which will also host the majority of the large arrays essential for achieving the highest capacity and performance gains. While growth rates vary significantly across regions, they are generally uniform, with Latin America experiencing the highest growth rate.
China is set to lead in the number of installations, with a forecast of 1.12 million mMIMO units by 2031, followed by the USA with just over 400,000, and India at 262,000. India, starting its 5G rollout following its first 5G spectrum auction in August 2022, rapidly expanded its user base, surpassing 100 million 5G users before the end of 2023.
The expenditure on mMIMO equipment is also set to rise sharply, from $47.7 billion in 2023 to $151.4 billion in 2031. These costs include equipment, installation, and support expenses.
Analysis by country and region, as well as globally, breaks down the forecast by basic mMIMO array size, spanning five categories: 16T-16R, 32T-32R, 64T-64R, 128T-128R, and 256T-256R. Currently, the 16T-16R configuration is the most common, with 441,800 units deployed in 2023, making up 47.4% of the total 930,200 installations. However, the 32T-32R array is becoming increasingly prevalent, projected to account for 57.1% of sales by 2031 — approximately 1.71 million of the 3.07 million units.
In terms of costs, larger units, which are more expensive, represent a greater proportion of the total expenditure compared to their numerical distribution, with the 32T-32R configuration expected to dominate throughout the forecast period.
This is the latest forecast from the RAN Research Archive, which now includes a broad range of topics such as mMIMO, 5G RedCap, Network Slicing, and several other key areas in the sector.
Rethink Technology Research, a leading analyst firm with a 21-year history, is recognised as a thought leader in 5G, wireless technologies, the entertainment ecosystem, the Internet of Things, and has recently ventured into the energy market. RAN Research, our dedicated wireless research team, produces comprehensive market forecasts and technology white papers.
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