Digital Lifescapes

As international travel rebounds to pre-pandemic levels in 2025, the mobile communication roaming market is at an inflection point. Emerging technologies and changing customer preferences are challenging traditional wholesale roaming agreements between mobile network operators (MNOs). The global wholesale roaming market is projected to more than double, from $9 billion in 2024 to $20 billion by 2028. This surge will be fueled by the expanding deployment of 5G Standalone (SA) technology, which enables real-time roaming connections and activity monitoring. But beneath this headline figure lies a complex landscape of regional variations and technological mobile service disruptions. Global Mobile Roaming Market Development Western Europe dominates inbound roaming connections, largely thanks to its Roam Like at Home (RLAH) initiative, which eliminates roaming charges among member countries.  Meanwhile, the Indian Subcontinent is emerging as a growth hotspot. Between 2024 and 2029, inbou...

The global Non-Terrestrial Network (NTN) and Direct-to-Cell (D2C) markets are poised for growth, driven by unprecedented collaboration between technology giants, satellite operators, and mobile network operators (MNOs). According to the latest worldwide market study, these sectors will collectively generate over $25 billion in revenue by 2035, reshaping connectivity paradigms. This convergence represents a strategic response to the escalating demand for ubiquitous, low-latency wireless connectivity across industries and geographies. Global Connectivity Market Development    The NTN market (encompassing satellite, airborne, and maritime connectivity) and D2C services are converging to create hybrid infrastructure models. By 2035, NTN services alone will account for $15 billion of the total revenue, driven by applications in IoT, emergency communications, and rural broadband. D2C apps enabling satellite-to-smartphone connectivity will grow at 32 percent CAGR to $10 billion by 20...

Broadband internet access is an essential enabler of the Global Networked Economy. National, regional, and local government economic development efforts are being supported by new telecom service provider investment in modern infrastructure. The upside growth opportunities in urban and rural areas could be significant, based on recent market research findings. 5G Cellular Services Market Development 5G Fixed Wireless Access (FWA) allows Mobile Network Operators (MNOs) to provide Quality of Service (QoS) offerings with higher speeds and unlimited data, creating a demand for 5G FWA, which will continue to grow over the next few years. According to the latest worldwide market study by ABI Research, 5G FWA subscriptions will reach 72 million by 2027, representing 35 percent of the total FWA market in 2027. Although LTE FWA services have already been widely deployed worldwide, they often cannot provide the speed needed to compete with wired broadband connections. 5G FWA is set to offer data...

The success of Wi-Fi 6 isn't a foregone conclusion. There's growing interest among CIOs and CTOs in strategic applications for fifth-generation (5G) network deployment with unlicensed and shared spectrum in both the consumer and the enterprise Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN) markets.  Distributed Antenna Systems (DASs) have become a vital component for in-building wireless cellular communication coverage, especially in the U.S. and Asian markets. However, many legacy DASs are facing challenges incorporating 5G and increasing the overall capacity of the systems. To overcome these challenges, many Mobile Network Operators (MNOs) are starting to transition from traditional in-building DASs to 5G-Ready digital Distributed Radio Systems (DRS) due to technical and financial aspects and a smooth transition to 5G networks. Wireless Infrastructure Market Development According to the latest worldwide market study by ABI Research, worldwide revenue for DASs will grow approx. 2.7 times...

According to the latest market study by Juniper Research, the cumulative 4G LTE mobile broadband service revenues over the next five years will account for over $1 trillion. That growth represents 17 percent of the cumulative global operator billed service revenue from all mobile services. 4G LTE revenues are set to grow rapidly and will reach more than $340 billion globally in 2017, reflecting the continued success of LTE in serving higher value mobile network subscribers. The demand for high bandwidth wireless broadband services from end users and the availability of Wi-Fi on most mobile devices has compelled operators to address consumer expectations around quality and user experience while creating new opportunities for the industry. "Along with the 4G network roll-out, the 4G/Wi-Fi combination will continue to provide a scalable and cost effective solution. It offers long term benefits, with the present offload platforms supporting future network infrastructures, and ...

Connected Device Platforms (CDP) are software systems that help to facilitate the deployment and management of connected devices for machine-to-machine (M2M) applications over cellular wireless networks. With an expected market of $2.14 billion in 2017, CDPs are typically provisioned by Mobile Network Operators (MNOs) and delivered to M2M application deployment companies as a cloud service, according to the latest market study by ABI Research . While several large MNOs have built their own CDP, there is a clear trend in the market towards third-party-provided solutions. “Several vendors are active in the market, including Ericsson, NSN, and NEC, among others, but the clear leader, in terms of sheer number of operator partners and market traction, is pure-play provider Jasper Wireless,” says ABI research practice director Sam Lucero. As the M2M market becomes a more mainstream segment of the overall mobile industry, CDPs are increasingly becoming a required component of the MNOs...