FCC Releases CBRS Rulebook, Mobile Experts Releases Research

In a recent announcement, the FCC officially released the final CBRS rules that clarify 3.5GHz shared spectrum license terms, and research firm Mobile Experts has just released research that sets the scene for the next 5 years in CBRS technology, which will be rolled out under the market brand name, OnGo.

This new report is a review of the CBRS/OnGo ecosystem to assess its potential growth, market size, and timing. The report investigates five different business model scenarios, to fully assess the potential of the CBRS/OnGo market for mobile operators, cable operators, neutral hosts, and enterprises.

“The final CBRS rules have reinforced our confidence in investments by mobile and cable operators, but it lessens the enthusiasm of the WISPs, enterprises, and other smaller players who looked forward to getting hands-on, lower-cost licensed spectrum,” said Kyung Mun, Principal Analyst, Mobile Experts. “Now that we have the final playbook in hand, the market is ready for a commercial rollout beyond trials, and we're going to see a massive surge in small cell shipments between now and 2023.”

According to the report, the diversity of CBRS/OnGo market opportunities in the mobile, cable, and enterprise segments will shift and narrow over time as the revised FCC ruling will encourage some to invest and others to explore more opportunities elsewhere. Major mobile and cable operators will be active in deploying CBRS infrastructure to enhance their mobile network capacity for mobile and MVNO offload.

“In the near future, fixed wireless and Private LTE applications will encourage early adoption, as there could still be opportunities to use the CBRS spectrum under GAA in the near term,” said Kyung Mun. “Outdoor small cell deployment by the mobile operators for carrier aggregation layer for mobile offload will drive the next wave. Simultaneously, cable operators will aggressively roll out outdoor and indoor CBRS networks to aid in their MVNO businesses.”

Overall, Mobile Experts is expecting rapid growth, with an annual shipment of over 400,000 small cells for about $740 million in 2023, and more than 550 billion handsets, CPEs, and IoT devices shipping over the next five years.