ABI Research: Huawei and Kathrein Ranked Top Two Base Station Antenna Vendors

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The base station antenna is an increasingly complex and essential part of the mobile network, and that complexity is growing as networks evolve to 5G. Considering there will potentially be 850 million 5G subscribers by 2025, competition in the mobile cellular antenna arena is intense. While the top antenna vendors battle it out, Huawei and Kathrein remain the top two base station antenna vendors worldwide, according to the latest 5G Antenna Innovations competitive assessment by global tech market advisory firm, ABI Research.

The competitive assessment ranked the ten most dominant and innovative mobile cellular antenna manufacturers in the world—ACE Technologies, Amphenol, Comba, CommScope, Huawei, Kathrein, MOBI, RFS, Rosenberger, and Tongyu—using ABI Research’s proven, unbiased innovation/implementation criteria framework. Each vendor was analyzed based on its multi-band, ultra-wideband, active, and advanced MIMO capabilities, essential intellectual property and R&D, overall market share, antenna geographical penetration, financial and organizational health, and antenna portfolio.

“Huawei, the largest antenna vendor in the market, once again got the number one spot in innovation and implementation; Kathrein and CommScope retained their second and third place rank respectively. All top three vendors each account for double-digit market share. Rosenberger has rapidly gained in market share since 2016 and now occupies the number four position with ACE Technologies rounding out the top five,” says Nick Marshall, Research Director at ABI Research.

“Competition and innovation in the mobile cellular antenna market are fierce. Today’s base station antennas now offer a complex portfolio of features such as multi-band, multi-port, multi-beam, and MIMO (Multiple-Input, Multiple-Output) and massive MIMO, and antennas need to incorporate these technologies in the increasingly space-constrained cell tower as well as resist enormous stresses from the weather and the environment in general,” notes Marshall.

Except for Huawei and Rosenberger, all the vendors lost market share in 2018. ABI Research expects the competition for the number two and three spots to heat up in 2019 with Rosenberger set to challenge number three CommScope, which in turn challenges number two Kathrein (which will be acquired by Ericsson in the third quarter).  “Huawei will continue to dominate this market as it holds twice the market share of its nearest rival,” Marshall concludes.

These findings are from ABI Research’s Mobile Base Station Antenna Vendor Ranking Competitive Assessment report. This report is part of the company’s 5G & Mobile Network Infrastructure research service, which includes research, data, and analyst insights. Competitive Assessment reports offer comprehensive analysis of implementation strategies and innovation, coupled with market share analysis, to offer unparalleled insight into a company’s performance and standing in comparison to its competitors.

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