The vRAN (Virtualized Radio Access Network) Ecosystem: 2017 - 2030 - Opportunities, Challenges, Strategies & Forecasts

Published: Jan, 2017 | Pages: 220 | Publisher: SNS Research
Industry: Telecommunications | Report Format: Electronic (PDF)

vRAN (Virtualized Radio Access Network) refers to a RAN (Radio Access Network) implementation where some or all baseband functions are separated from the remote radio unit and run as VNFs (Virtualized Network Functions) on commodity hardware. This approach results in multiple operational benefits including but not limited to TCO (Total Cost of Ownership) reduction, performance gains and scalability. In addition, vRAN enables mobile operators to future-proof their networks for 5G upgrades.

The vRAN market is presently at a nascent stage with most investments focused on virtualized small cells for targeted greenfield deployments and pilot engagements for macrocell coverage. However, as mobile operators realize the benefits of RAN virtualization, the market is expected to grow at a CAGR of approximately 125% over the next three year period. By the end of 2020, SNS Research estimates that vRAN deployments will account for a market worth $2.6 Billion.

The “vRAN (Virtualized Radio Access Network) Ecosystem: 2017 - 2030 - Opportunities, Challenges, Strategies & Forecasts” report presents an in-depth assessment of the vRAN ecosystem including enabling technologies, key trends, market drivers, challenges, standardization, collaborative initiatives, regulatory landscape, deployment models,  operator case studies, opportunities, future roadmap, value chain, ecosystem player profiles and strategies. The report also presents forecasts for vRAN investments from 2017 till 2030. The forecasts cover multiple submarkets and 6 regions.

The report comes with an associated Excel datasheet suite covering quantitative data from all numeric forecasts presented in the report.

Topics Covered

The report covers the following topics: 
 - vRAN ecosystem
 - Market drivers and barriers
 - vRAN architecture and key functional elements
 - Baseband functional splitting for vRAN implementation
 - Fronthaul networking technologies and interface options
 - Key trends including RAN slicing, RANaaS (RAN as a Service), neutral hosting and MEC (Mobile Edge Computing)
 - TCO comparison between vRAN and conventional RAN architectures
 - vRAN deployment models including Cloud RAN and virtualized small cells
 - Mobile operator case studies
 - Regulatory landscape, collaborative initiatives and standardization
 - Industry roadmap and value chain
 - Profiles and strategies of over 60 leading ecosystem players including vRAN solution providers
 - Strategic recommendations for ecosystem players including vRAN solution providers and mobile operators
 - Market analysis and forecasts from 2017 till 2030

Forecast Segmentation
Market forecasts are provided for each of the following submarkets and their subcategories:

Submarkets
 - vRAN Radio Units
 - vBBUs (Virtualized Baseband Units)

Air Interface Technology Segmentation
 - LTE & 3G
 - 5G NR (New Radio)

Deployment Model Segmentation
 - Virtualized Small Cells
 - Virtualized Macrocells

Regional Markets
 - Asia Pacific
 - Eastern Europe
 - Middle East & Africa
 - Latin & Central America
 - North America
 - Western Europe

Key Questions Answered 

The report provides answers to the following key questions:
 - How big is the vRAN opportunity?
 - What trends, challenges and barriers are influencing its growth?
 - How is the ecosystem evolving by segment and region?
 - What will the market size be in 2020 and at what rate will it grow?
 - Which submarkets will see the highest percentage of growth?
 - Is centralization a pre-requisite for vRAN implementation?
 - What are the benefits and drawbacks of each baseband functional split option?
 - How can vRAN reduce the TCO of RAN deployments?
 - How can mobile operators future-proof their RAN investments for 5G upgrades?
 - Who are the key market players and what are their strategies?
 - What strategies should vRAN solution providers and mobile operators adopt to remain competitive?

Key Findings 

The report has the following key findings: 
 - vRAN investments are expected to grow at a CAGR of approximately 125% over the next three year period. By the end of 2020, SNS Research estimates that vRAN deployments will account for a market worth $2.6 Billion.
 - At present, most vRAN investments are focused on virtualized small cells for targeted greenfield deployments and pilot engagements for macrocell coverage. 
 - Mobile operators are exploring multiple baseband functional split options for vRAN implementation, as they seek to ease the transition to 5G networks while reducing fronthaul costs.
 - The ongoing 5G race is expected to significantly boost vRAN investments over the coming years. SNS Research estimates that approximately $900 Million of all vRAN investments will be directed towards 5G networks by the end of 2020.

List of Companies Mentioned

• 3GPP (3rd Generation Partnership Project)
• 6WIND
• ADLINK Technology
• Advantech
• Airspan Networks
• Altiostar Networks
• Amarisoft
• Argela
• Aricent
• ARM Holdings
• Artemis Networks
• Artesyn Embedded Technologies
• ASOCS
• ASTRI (Hong Kong Applied Science and Technology Research Institute)
• Broadband Forum
• Broadcom
• BT Group
• Casa Systems
• Cavium
• China Mobile
• China Unicom
• Cisco Systems
• Clavister
• Cobham Wireless
• Comcores
• CommAgility
• CommScope
• Contela
• Dali Wireless
• Dell Technologies
• DT (Deutsche Telekom)
• eASIC Corporation
• EBlink
• EE
• Ericsson
• ETSI (European Telecommunications Standards Institute)
• EURECOM
• Facebook
• Fujitsu
• Hitachi
• HPE (Hewlett Packard Enterprise)
• Huawei
• IBM Corporation
• IDT (Integrated Device Technology)
• IEEE (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers)
• Intel Corporation
• ip.access
• IS-Wireless
• ITU (International Telecommunications Union)
• JMA Wireless
• Kathrein-Werke KG
• KT Corporation
• Linux Foundation
• MEF (Metro Ethernet Forum)
• Mellanox Technologies
• Microsemi Corporation
• Mitel Mobility
• Mobiveil
• MontaVista Software
• MTI Mobile
• NEC Corporation
• NGMN (Next Generation Mobile Networks) Alliance
• Nokia
• Nokia Networks
• Nokia Technologies
• NTT Communications
• NTT DoCoMo
• NXP Semiconductors
• Octasic
• ON.Lab (Open Networking Lab)
• ONF (Open Networking Foundation)
• Orange
• OSA (OpenAirInterface Software Alliance)
• Parallel Wireless
• Phluido
• Qualcomm
• Quortus
• Radisys Corporation
• Ranzure Networks
• Rearden
• Red Hat
• Samsung Electronics
• SCF (Small Cell Forum)
• SK Telecom
• SoftBank Group
• SOLiD (SOLiD Technologies)
• SpiderCloud Wireless
• Sprint Corporation
• Sumitomo Electric Industries
• Sunnada (Fujian Sunnada Communication Company)
• Sunwave Communications
• Telecom Italia Group
• Telefónica Group
• TI (Texas Instruments)
• TIM (Telecom Italia Mobile)
• Vodafone Group
• Vodafone Hutchison Australia
• Vodafone Italy
• Xilinx
• xRAN Consortium
• Xura
• ZTE

 Table of Contents		

Chapter 1: Introduction	12
1.1	Executive Summary	12
1.2	Topics Covered	14
1.3	Forecast Segmentation	15
1.4	Key Questions Answered	16
1.5	Key Findings	17
1.6	Methodology	18
1.7	Target Audience	19
1.8	Companies & Organizations Mentioned	20
		
Chapter 2: An Overview of vRAN	22
2.1	C-RAN (Centralized Radio Access Network): Opening the Door to RAN Virtualization	22
2.1.1	Decoupling the Base Station	22
2.1.2	Brief History	23
2.1.3	Outlook on Future Investments	23
2.2	What is vRAN?	24
2.2.1	Leveraging Commodity Technologies	25
2.2.2	Moving RAN to the Cloud	25
2.3	Key Functional Elements of vRAN	27
2.3.1	Remote Radio Unit	27
2.3.2	vBBU (Virtualized Baseband Unit)	27
2.3.2.1	Baseband VNFs (Virtualized Network Functions)	28
2.3.2.2	RTOS (Real-Time Operating System) & Virtualization Environment	29
2.3.2.3	GPP (General Purpose Processor) Platform	30
2.3.2.4	Dedicated Programmable Hardware	30
2.3.2.5	External Interactions	31
2.3.3	Fronthaul	32
2.3.3.1	Technologies	32
2.3.3.2	Interface Options	34
2.4	Baseband Functional Split Approaches	36
2.4.1	Fully Virtualized Baseband Processing: PHY-RF Split	37
2.4.2	Partially Virtualized Functional Splits	38
2.4.2.1	Intra-PHY Split	39
2.4.2.2	MAC-PHY Split	40
2.4.2.3	Intra-MAC Split	40
2.4.2.4	RLC-MAC Split	41
2.4.2.5	Intra-RLC Split	41
2.4.2.6	PDCP-RLC Split	41
2.4.2.7	RRC-PDCP Split	42
2.5	Market Growth Drivers	42
2.5.1	Capacity & Coverage Improvement: Addressing the Mobile Data Traffic Tsunami	42
2.5.2	Bringing Intelligence to the Edge: MEC (Mobile Edge Computing)	44
2.5.3	OpEx Reduction: Reducing Energy & Maintenance Costs	44
2.5.4	CapEx Reduction: BBU Resource Pooling & Commodity IT Hardware	45
2.5.5	Agile & Flexible Network Architecture	45
2.5.6	Enhanced Support for Advanced RAN Coordination Features	46
2.5.7	Multi-Tenancy & RAN Sharing	46
2.5.8	Enabling Painless Migration Towards Future RAN Technologies	47
2.5.9	Impact of 5G Rollouts	47
2.6	Market Barriers	47
2.6.1	Fronthaul Investments	48
2.6.2	Virtualization Challenges	48
2.6.3	Vendor Proprietary Functional Splits	48
2.6.4	Migration from Legacy Architectures	49
		
Chapter 3: Standardization,  Regulatory & Collaborative Initiatives	50
3.1	3GPP (3rd Generation Partnership Project)	50
3.1.1	Functional Splits for vRAN Implementation in 5G Networks	50
3.1.2	Management of Virtualized Mobile Networks	51
3.2	Broadband Forum	52
3.2.1	TR-069 for PNF Management	52
3.3	CPRI Initiative	53
3.3.1	eCPRI for 5G Fronthaul Networks	53
3.4	ETSI (European Telecommunications Standards Institute)	54
3.4.1	ORI for Fronthaul	54
3.4.2	NFV (Network Functions Virtualization) for vRAN	54
3.4.3	MEC (Mobile Edge Computing)	56
3.5	IEEE (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers)	57
3.5.1	IEEE 802.1CM: TSN (Time-Sensitive Networking) for Fronthaul	57
3.5.2	IEEE P1904.3: Standard for RoE (Radio over Ethernet) Encapsulations and Mappings	57
3.5.3	IEEE 1914: NGFI (Next Generation Fronthaul Interface) Working Group	58
3.5.4	Other Standards & Work Groups	59
3.6	ITU (International Telecommunications Union)	60
3.6.1	Focus Group on IMT-2020	60
3.7	MEF (Metro Ethernet Forum)	61
3.7.1	Ethernet Transport	61
3.8	NGMN (Next Generation Mobile Networks) Alliance	62
3.8.1	P-CRAN (Project Centralized RAN)	62
3.9	ONF (Open Networking Foundation) & ON.Lab (Open Networking Lab)	63
3.9.1	M-CORD (Mobile Central Office Re-architected as a Datacenter)	63
3.10	OSA (OpenAirInterface Software Alliance)	65
3.10.1	LTE vRAN Implementation	65
3.11	SCF (Small Cell Forum)	66
3.11.1	Release 8: Small Cell Virtualization with nFAPI	66
3.12	TIP (Telecom Infra Project)	68
3.12.1	OpenCellular Access Platform	68
3.13	xRAN Consortium	69
3.13.1	xRAN Architecture	69
		
Chapter 4: vRAN Deployment Models & Case Studies	70
4.1	Deployment Models	70
4.1.1	Distributed vRAN	70
4.1.2	Centralized vRAN: Cloud RAN	71
4.1.3	Virtualized Small Cells	73
4.2	Mobile Operator Case Studies	74
4.2.1	BT Group	74
4.2.2	China Mobile	75
4.2.3	China Unicom	77
4.2.4	KT Corporation	78
4.2.5	NTT DoCoMo	79
4.2.6	Orange	81
4.2.7	SK Telecom	82
4.2.8	SoftBank Group	84
4.2.9	Telefónica Group	86
4.2.10	TIM (Telecom Italia Mobile)	87
4.2.11	Vodafone Group	88
		
Chapter 5: vRAN Industry Roadmap & Value Chain	90
5.1	Industry Roadmap	90
5.1.1	2017 - 2020: Growing Adoption of Virtualized Small Cells	90
5.1.2	2020 - 2025: The Cloud RAN Era - Moving vRAN to the Data Center	91
5.1.3	2025 - 2030: Continued Investments with 5G Network Rollouts	91
5.2	Value Chain	92
5.2.1	Enabling Technology Providers	92
5.2.2	Radio Equipment Suppliers	93
5.2.3	vBBU Vendors	93
5.2.4	Fronthaul Networking Vendors	93
5.2.5	Mobile Operators	94
5.2.6	Test, Measurement & Performance Specialists	94
		
Chapter 6: Key Market Players	95
6.1	6WIND	95
6.2	ADLINK Technology	96
6.3	Advantech	97
6.4	Airspan Networks	98
6.5	Altiostar Networks	99
6.6	Amarisoft	100
6.7	Argela	101
6.8	Aricent	102
6.9	ARM Holdings	103
6.10	Artemis Networks	104
6.11	Artesyn Embedded Technologies	105
6.12	ASOCS	106
6.13	ASTRI (Hong Kong Applied Science and Technology Research Institute)	107
6.14	Broadcom	108
6.15	Casa Systems	109
6.16	Cavium	110
6.17	Cisco Systems	112
6.18	Clavister	113
6.19	Cobham Wireless	114
6.20	Comcores	115
6.21	CommAgility	116
6.22	CommScope	117
6.23	Contela	118
6.24	Dali Wireless	119
6.25	Dell Technologies	120
6.26	eASIC Corporation	121
6.27	Ericsson	122
6.28	Facebook	123
6.29	Fujitsu	124
6.30	Hitachi	125
6.31	HPE (Hewlett Packard Enterprise)	126
6.32	Huawei	127
6.33	IBM Corporation	128
6.34	IDT (Integrated Device Technology)	129
6.35	Intel Corporation	130
6.36	ip.access	131
6.37	IS-Wireless	132
6.38	JMA Wireless	133
6.39	Kathrein-Werke KG	134
6.40	Mellanox Technologies	135
6.41	Microsemi Corporation	136
6.42	Mobiveil	137
6.43	MTI Mobile	138
6.44	NEC Corporation	139
6.45	Nokia	140
6.46	NXP Semiconductors	141
6.47	Octasic	142
6.48	Parallel Wireless	143
6.49	Phluido	144
6.50	Qualcomm	145
6.51	Quortus	146
6.52	Radisys Corporation	147
6.53	Red Hat	148
6.54	Samsung Electronics	149
6.55	SOLiD (SOLiD Technologies)	150
6.56	SpiderCloud Wireless	151
6.57	Sumitomo Electric Industries	152
6.58	Sunnada (Fujian Sunnada Communication Company)	153
6.59	Sunwave Communications	154
6.60	TI (Texas Instruments)	155
6.61	Xilinx	156
6.62	Xura	157
6.63	ZTE	158
		
Chapter 7: Market Analysis & Forecasts	159
7.1	Global Outlook on vRAN Investments	159
7.2	Segmentation by Deployment Model	160
7.2.1	Virtualized Small Cells	160
7.2.2	Virtualized Macrocells	161
7.3	Segmentation by Air Interface Technology	161
7.3.1	LTE & 3G	162
7.3.2	5G NR (New Radio)	162
7.4	Segmentation by Submarket	163
7.4.1	vRAN Radio Units	163
7.4.1.1	Virtualized Small Cell Radio Units	165
7.4.1.2	Virtualized Macrocell Radio Units	166
7.4.2	vBBUs (Virtualized Baseband Units)	167
7.4.2.1	Virtualized Small Cell BBUs	169
7.4.2.2	Virtualized Macrocell BBUs	170
7.5	Segmentation by Region	172
7.5.1	vRAN Radio Units	172
7.5.2	vBBUs	173
7.6	Asia Pacific	175
7.6.1	vRAN Radio Units	175
7.6.2	vBBUs	176
7.7	Eastern Europe	178
7.7.1	vRAN Radio Units	178
7.7.2	vBBUs	179
7.8	Middle East & Africa	181
7.8.1	vRAN Radio Units	181
7.8.2	vBBUs	182
7.9	Latin & Central America	184
7.9.1	vRAN Radio Units	184
7.9.2	vBBUs	185
7.10	North America	187
7.10.1	vRAN Radio Units	187
7.10.2	vBBUs	188
7.11	Western Europe	190
7.11.1	vRAN Radio Units	190
7.11.2	vBBUs	191
		
Chapter 8: Expert Opinion - Interview Transcripts	193
8.1	Ericsson	193
8.2	Nokia Networks	196
8.3	ASOCS	201
8.4	SpiderCloud Wireless	204
8.5	Parallel Wireless	206
		
Chapter 9: Conclusion & Strategic Recommendations	210
9.1	Why is the Market Poised to Grow?	210
9.2	Competitive Industry Landscape: Acquisitions, Alliances & Consolidation	210
9.3	Is Centralization a Pre-Requisite for vRAN Implementation?	211
9.4	Setting the Foundation for 5G NR (New Radio) Upgrades	211
9.5	What is the Cost Saving Potential of vRAN?	212
9.6	Integration with MEC (Mobile Edge Computing)	213
9.7	Moving Towards a Cloud Operating Model	213
9.8	Prospects of Neutral Hosting with vRAN	214
9.9	Enabling RAN Slicing	215
9.10	Unlicensed Spectrum: Impact on Virtualized Small Cell Design	217
9.11	Geographic Outlook: Which Countries Offer the Highest Growth Potential?	218
9.12	Strategic Recommendations	219
9.12.1	vRAN Solution Providers	219
9.12.2	Mobile Operators	220

List of Figures		

	Figure 1: C-RAN Architecture	23
	Figure 2: vRAN Architecture	25
	Figure 3: Key Remote Radio Unit & vBBU Functions	29
	Figure 4: VM vs. Container Virtualization	31
	Figure 5: CPRI Protocol Layers	34
	Figure 6: Baseband Functional Split Options for vRAN	37
	Figure 7: Examples of Maximum Required Bitrate on a Fronthaul Link for Possible PHY-RF Split	38
	Figure 8: Performance Comparison of Baseband Functional Split Options for vRAN	40
	Figure 9: Annual Global Throughput of Mobile Network Data Traffic by Region: 2017 - 2030 (Exabytes)	44
	Figure 10: ETSI NFV Architecture	56
	Figure 11: M-CORD Focus Areas	65
	Figure 12: nFAPI Interfaces	67
	Figure 13: Distributed vRAN Deployment Model	72
	Figure 14: Cloud RAN Deployment Model	73
	Figure 15: Virtualized Small Cell Deployment Model	74
	Figure 16: China Mobile’s Cloud RAN Vision	77
	Figure 17: NTT DoCoMo’s Advanced C-RAN Architecture	80
	Figure 18: SK Telecom's SDRAN (Software Defined RAN) Architecture	84
	Figure 19: SoftBank's Virtualized Small Cell Trial	86
	Figure 20: vRAN Industry Roadmap	91
	Figure 21: vRAN Value Chain	93
	Figure 22: Global vRAN Revenue: 2017 - 2030 ($ Million)	160
	Figure 23: Global vRAN Revenue by Deployment Model: 2017 - 2030 ($ Million)	161
	Figure 24: Global Virtualized Small Cell RAN Revenue: 2017 - 2030 ($ Million)	161
	Figure 25: Global Virtualized Macrocell RAN Revenue: 2017 - 2030 ($ Million)	162
	Figure 26: Global vRAN Revenue by Air Interface Technology: 2017 - 2030 ($ Million)	162
	Figure 27: Global Virtualized LTE & 3G RAN Revenue: 2017 - 2030 ($ Million)	163
	Figure 28: Global Virtualized 5G NR RAN Revenue: 2017 - 2030 ($ Million)	163
	Figure 29: Global vRAN Revenue by Submarket: 2016 - 2030 ($ Million)	164
	Figure 30: Global vRAN Radio Unit Shipments: 2017 - 2030 (Thousands of Units)	164
	Figure 31: Global vRAN Radio Unit Shipment Revenue: 2017 - 2030 ($ Million)	165
	Figure 32: Global vRAN Radio Unit Shipments by Deployment Model: 2017 - 2030 (Units)	165
	Figure 33: Global vRAN Radio Unit Shipment Revenue by Deployment Model: 2017 - 2030 ($ Million)	166
	Figure 34: Global Virtualized Small Cell Radio Unit Shipments: 2017 - 2030 (Units)	166
	Figure 35: Global Virtualized Small Cell Radio Unit Shipment Revenue: 2017 - 2030 ($ Million)	167
	Figure 36: Global Virtualized Macrocell Radio Unit Shipments: 2017 - 2030 (Units)	167
	Figure 37: Global Virtualized Macrocell Radio Unit Shipment Revenue: 2017 - 2030 ($ Million)	168
	Figure 38: Global vBBU Shipments: 2017 - 2030 (Units)	168
	Figure 39: Global vBBU Shipment Revenue: 2017 - 2030 ($ Million)	169
	Figure 40: Global vBBU Shipments by Deployment Model: 2017 - 2030 (Units)	169
	Figure 41: Global vBBU Shipment Revenue by Deployment Model: 2017 - 2030 ($ Million)	170
	Figure 42: Global Virtualized Small Cell BBU Shipments: 2017 - 2030 (Units)	170
	Figure 43: Global Virtualized Small Cell BBU Shipment Revenue: 2017 - 2030 ($ Million)	171
	Figure 44: Global Virtualized Macrocell BBU Shipments: 2017 - 2030 (Units)	171
	Figure 45: Global Virtualized Macrocell BBU Shipment Revenue: 2017 - 2030 ($ Million)	172
	Figure 46: vRAN Revenue by Region: 2017 - 2030 ($ Million)	173
	Figure 47: vRAN Radio Unit Shipments by Region: 2017 - 2030 (Thousands of Units)	173
	Figure 48: vRAN Radio Unit Shipment Revenue by Region: 2017 - 2030 ($ Million)	174
	Figure 49: vBBU Shipments by Region: 2017 - 2030 (Units)	174
	Figure 50: vBBU Shipment Revenue by Region: 2017 - 2030 ($ Million)	175
	Figure 51: Asia Pacific vRAN Revenue: 2017 - 2030 ($ Million)	176
	Figure 52: Asia Pacific vRAN Radio Unit Shipments: 2017 - 2030 (Thousands of Units)	176
	Figure 53: Asia Pacific vRAN Radio Unit Shipment Revenue: 2017 - 2030 ($ Million)	177
	Figure 54: Asia Pacific vBBU Shipments: 2017 - 2030 (Units)	177
	Figure 55: Asia Pacific vBBU Shipment Revenue: 2017 - 2030 ($ Million)	178
	Figure 56: Eastern Europe vRAN Revenue: 2017 - 2030 ($ Million)	179
	Figure 57: Eastern Europe vRAN Radio Unit Shipments: 2017 - 2030 (Thousands of Units)	179
	Figure 58: Eastern Europe vRAN Radio Unit Shipment Revenue: 2017 - 2030 ($ Million)	180
	Figure 59: Eastern Europe vBBU Shipments: 2017 - 2030 (Units)	180
	Figure 60: Eastern Europe vBBU Shipment Revenue: 2017 - 2030 ($ Million)	181
	Figure 61: Middle East & Africa vRAN Revenue: 2017 - 2030 ($ Million)	182
	Figure 62: Middle East & Africa vRAN Radio Unit Shipments: 2017 - 2030 (Thousands of Units)	182
	Figure 63: Middle East & Africa vRAN Radio Unit Shipment Revenue: 2017 - 2030 ($ Million)	183
	Figure 64: Middle East & Africa vBBU Shipments: 2017 - 2030 (Units)	183
	Figure 65: Middle East & Africa vBBU Shipment Revenue: 2017 - 2030 ($ Million)	184
	Figure 66: Latin & Central America vRAN Revenue: 2017 - 2030 ($ Million)	185
	Figure 67: Latin & Central America vRAN Radio Unit Shipments: 2017 - 2030 (Thousands of Units)	185
	Figure 68: Latin & Central America vRAN Radio Unit Shipment Revenue: 2017 - 2030 ($ Million)	186
	Figure 69: Latin & Central America vBBU Shipments: 2017 - 2030 (Units)	186
	Figure 70: Latin & Central America vBBU Shipment Revenue: 2017 - 2030 ($ Million)	187
	Figure 71: North America vRAN Revenue: 2017 - 2030 ($ Million)	188
	Figure 72: North America vRAN Radio Unit Shipments: 2017 - 2030 (Thousands of Units)	188
	Figure 73: North America vRAN Radio Unit Shipment Revenue: 2017 - 2030 ($ Million)	189
	Figure 74: North America vBBU Shipments: 2017 - 2030 (Units)	189
	Figure 75: North America vBBU Shipment Revenue: 2017 - 2030 ($ Million)	190
	Figure 76: Western Europe vRAN Revenue: 2017 - 2030 ($ Million)	191
	Figure 77: Western Europe vRAN Radio Unit Shipments: 2017 - 2030 (Thousands of Units)	191
	Figure 78: Western Europe vRAN Radio Unit Shipment Revenue: 2017 - 2030 ($ Million)	192
	Figure 79: Western Europe vBBU Shipments: 2017 - 2030 (Units)	192
	Figure 80: Western Europe vBBU Shipment Revenue: 2017 - 2030 ($ Million)	193
	Figure 81: Centralization & Virtualization of RAN Functions	197
	Figure 82: Centralized vs. Distributed Cloud RAN Architecture	200
	Figure 83: Nokia's Cloud Based Radio Architecture	201
	Figure 84: TCO Comparison Between vRAN and Conventional RAN Architecture ($ per GB)	213
	Figure 85: Conceptual Architecture for Network Slicing in Mobile Networks	216
	Figure 86: nFAPI support for LAA’s LBT Functionality	218