Private network revenue to double by 2028 despite 5G deployment challenges

The firm’s latest Private Cellular Networks Market report attributes this surge to growing enterprise investment, with deployments accelerating.

Juniper forecasts around 3,000 new private networks will be rolled out in the next two years, surpassing the 2,500 deployed over the past four years. However, 5G will account for just $5.6 billion of the market value by 2028.

The likes of Verizon and Nvidia, Ericsson, and Nokia with NTT Data have all made recent moves to expand private 5G adoption, but Juniper’s report suggests that deployment issues have impacted uptake.

The report highlights the lower operational cost of 4G technologies and its sufficiency in providing connectivity services to markets such as manufacturing and logistics, as key drivers to the continued growth of 4G private networks.

While private 5G deployments are lagging, Juniper’s forecast suggests that the growth of Network-as-a-Service (NaaS) business models is helping push private networks.

The report suggests that NaaS models help reduce costs for enterprises while offering scalability, enabling users to more efficiently manage operational network costs through leasing private network elements.

Michelle Joynson, research author and analyst at Juniper Research said: “As the market grows, vendors must provide flexible business models such as NaaS to attract high-spending private network users.

“This will also enable vendors to expand private 5G deployments, as businesses are better able to maintain the capital and operational cost of the network.”

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