After Huawei, other companies within the top five in market share include CommScope, Kathrein Mobile Communication, Rosenberger, and ACE Technologies. Together, these five vendors comprise more than 70% of the total market in terms of revenue. While the names of the top five remain the same, there has been a change in the order, with CommScope dropping to second place in 2019.

2019 was the year 5G began its rollout and testing. By the end of 2019, South Korea reported that more than 90,000 5G base stations had been deployed, and China had built more than 130,000. “The move toward 5G deployment is creating new challenges, as the antenna and radio must be integrated for optimal site space utilization and network performance. The successful performance of the 5G network will increasingly depend on the antenna, making it an essential component in the operator's network,” explains Dean Tan, research analyst at ABI Research.

ABI Research predicted growing demand for higher-order antenna ports, such as ports 6 and 8 and ports 10 through 16. These two segments will constitute more than 80% of antenna orders by 2025. In preparation for 5G, most antenna vendors (e.g., Huawei, Kathrein, RFS) have launched their versions of the active-passive antenna or are working with OEMs to develop them. This configuration allows for the deployment of an active or massive multi-input multiple-output (m-MIMO) antenna array alongside the passive antenna array. m-MIMO is key to achieving the greater capacity and performance gains expected from 5G. However, challenges such as limited site space and the difficulty of acquiring new sites require vendors to develop innovative ideas for 5G deployment. “With the rollout of 5G, we have seen remarkable growth and innovation in the integrated active antenna segment. To address the challenges of 5G deployment, there is a vital need for antenna suppliers and original equipment manufacturers to work closely together in an integrated manner,” says Tan.

Aside from the 5G focus, antenna suppliers continue to develop innovative solutions to overcome physical challenges. Kathrein launched its "378-antenna platform" that generates air vortices to reduce the wind load experienced by an antenna. Wind load is a key challenge that antenna suppliers grapple with to ensure the reliability and safety of the antenna and its tower. "While more 5G deployments are expected, operators in emerging and developed markets are still upgrading and replacing their 4G antenna architecture. Almost 90% of antenna sales in 2019 were still directed toward the 4G LTE market. But that will change," adds Jake Saunders, vice president for Asia Pacific at ABI Research.