KUALA LUMPUR (June 23): The global 5G network automation market is gathering momentum and expected to reach US$5 billion (about RM22.04 billion) by 2026 from approximately US$3.5 billion in 2021.

In a statement on Wednesday (June 22), Frost & Sullivan said with the 5G network moving to the cloud, the network is now software-based and requires automation to succeed operationally and financially.

Frost & Sullivan ICT industry principal Troy Morley said network automation is an essential part of 5G because it enables efficiency and cost savings for communications service providers (CSPs).

“While the entire 5G network will benefit from network automation, the most significant growth opportunity lies within the 5G RAN, where CSPs invest the largest portion of their capital expenditures and operating expenditures (opex),” he said.

Morley said with nearly 70% of infrastructure spend, slight improvements in the RAN due to network automation would lead to significant payback for CSPs, particularly concerning opex.

“Further, the new architecture of the 5G RAN has opened the market to many new suppliers bringing in specialists in machine learning and artificial intelligence,” he said.