LTE & 5G for Critical Communications: 2023 - 2030 - Opportunities, Challenges, Strategies & Forecasts

For nearly a century, the critical communications industry has relied on narrowband LMR (Land Mobile Radio) networks for mission-critical voice and low-speed data services. Over time, these systems have evolved from relatively basic analog radios to digital communications technologies, such as P25 (Project 25) and TETRA, to provide superior voice quality, end-to-end encryption and other advanced features. However, due to their inherent bandwidth and design limitations, even the most sophisticated digital LMR networks are unable to support mobile broadband and data-driven IIoT (Industrial IoT) applications that have become vital for public safety, defense, utilities, transportation, oil and gas, mining and other segments of the critical communications industry.

The 3GPP-defined LTE and 5G NR standards have emerged as the leading candidates to fill this void. Over the last decade, a plethora of fully dedicated, hybrid commercial-private and secure MVNO-based 3GPP networks have been deployed to deliver critical communications broadband capabilities - in addition to the use of commercial mobile operator networks - for application scenarios as diverse as PTT group communications, real-time mobile video surveillance, untethered AR/VR/MR (Augmented, Virtual & Mixed Reality), collaborative mobile robots, AGVs (Automated Guided Vehicles) and automation in industrial environments. These networks range from nationwide PPDR (Public Protection & Disaster Relief) broadband platforms such as the United States' FirstNet (First Responder Network), South Korea's Safe-Net (National Disaster Safety Communications Network), France's RRF (Radio Network of the Future) and Finland's VIRVE 2.0 mission-critical broadband service to regional cellular networks covering the service footprint of utility companies, FRMCS (Future Railway Mobile Communication System)-ready networks for train-to-ground communications and NPNs (Non-Public Networks) for localized wireless connectivity in settings such as airports, maritime ports, oil and gas production facilities, power plants, substations, offshore wind farms, remote mining sites, factories and warehouses.

At present, most critical communications user organizations employ LTE and 5G NR as complementary technologies to augment existing voice-centric LMR networks with broadband capabilities. However, with the standardization and commercial availability of MCX (Mission-Critical PTT, Video & Data), IOPS (Isolated Operation for Public Safety), HPUE (High-Power User Equipment), URLLC (Ultra-Reliable, Low-Latency Communications), TSC (Time-Sensitive Communications), satellite-based NTN (Non-Terrestrial Network) integration and other 3GPP-defined critical communications features, LTE and 5G NR networks are increasingly gaining recognition as an all-inclusive critical communications platform for the delivery of mobile broadband and IIoT capabilities, as well as MCPTT (Mission-Critical PTT) voice functionality comparable to that offered by traditional LMR systems.

SNS Telecom & IT estimates that global investments in LTE and 5G network infrastructure for critical communications reached $3.4 Billion in 2023, driven by public safety broadband, smart grid modernization, FRMCS readiness and Industry 4.0 initiatives. The market is further expected to grow at a CAGR of approximately 17% over the next three years, eventually accounting for more than $5.5 Billion by the end of 2026.

Spanning over 4,000 pages, the "LTE & 5G for Critical Communications: 2023 - 2030 - Opportunities, Challenges, Strategies & Forecasts" report package encompasses two comprehensive reports covering the use of LTE and 5G NR networks for critical communications:

• The Private LTE & 5G Network Ecosystem: 2023 - 2030 - Opportunities, Challenges, Strategies, Industry Verticals & Forecasts

• The Public Safety LTE & 5G Market: 2023 - 2030 - Opportunities, Challenges, Strategies & Forecasts

This report package provides an in-depth assessment of LTE and 5G for critical communications, including the value chain, market drivers, barriers to uptake, enabling technologies, operational and business models, vertical industries, application scenarios, key trends, future roadmap, standardization, spectrum availability and allocation, regulatory landscape, case studies, ecosystem player profiles and strategies, as well as LTE and 5G network investment forecasts from 2023 till 2030.

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

Additional details

Topics Covered

The report package covers the following topics:

Report 1: The Private LTE & 5G Network Ecosystem: 2023 - 2030 - Opportunities, Challenges, Strategies, Industry Verticals & Forecasts

• Introduction to private LTE and 5G networks
• Value chain and ecosystem structure
• Market drivers and challenges
• System architecture and key elements of private LTE and 5G networks
• Operational and business models, network size, geographic reach and other practical aspects of private LTE and 5G networks
• Critical communications broadband evolution, Industry 4.0, enterprise transformation and other themes shaping the adoption of private LTE and 5G networks
• Enabling technologies and concepts, including 3GPP-defined MCX, URLLC, TSC, NR-U (NR in Unlicensed Spectrum), SNPN (Standalone NPN) and PNI-NPN (Public Network-Integrated NPN), cellular IoT, high-precision positioning, network slicing, edge computing and network automation capabilities
• Key trends such as the emergence of new classes of specialized network operators, shared and local area spectrum licensing, private NaaS (Network-as-a-Service) offerings, IT/OT convergence, Open RAN, vRAN (Virtualized RAN) and rapidly deployable LTE/5G systems
• Analysis of vertical industries and application scenarios, extending from mission-critical group communications and real-time video transmission to reconfigurable wireless production lines, collaborative mobile robots, AGVs and untethered AR/VR/MR
• Future roadmap of private LTE and 5G networks
• Review of private LTE and 5G network installations worldwide, including 100 case studies spanning 15 verticals
• Database tracking more than 6,000 private LTE and 5G engagements in over 120 countries across the globe
• Spectrum availability, allocation and usage across the global, regional and national domains
• Standardization, regulatory and collaborative initiatives
• Profiles and strategies of more than 1,800 ecosystem players
• Strategic recommendations for LTE/5G equipment and chipset suppliers, system integrators, private network specialists, mobile operators and end user organizations
• Market analysis and forecasts from 2023 till 2030

Report 2: The Public Safety LTE & 5G Market: 2023 - 2030 - Opportunities, Challenges, Strategies & Forecasts

• Introduction to public safety LTE and 5G
• Value chain and ecosystem structure
• Market drivers and challenges
• System architecture and key elements of public safety LTE and 5G networks
• Operational models for public safety LTE and 5G networks, including fully dedicated, shared core, hybrid government-commercial, secure MVNO/MOCN, commercial and sliced private networks
• PPPs (Public-Private Partnerships) and other common approaches to financing and delivering dedicated nationwide public safety broadband networks
• Enabling technologies and concepts, including 3GPP-defined MCX, HPUE, IOPS, 5G MBS (5G Multicast-Broadcast Services), ProSe (Proximity Services) and sidelink for D2D (Device-to-Device) communications, rapidly deployable LTE/5G systems, QPP (QoS, Priority & Preemption), network slicing, end-to-end security, high-precision positioning, ATG/A2G (Air-to-Ground), and satellite-based NTN integration
• Analysis of public safety broadband application scenarios and use cases, ranging from mission-critical group communications and real-time video transmission to 5G era applications centered upon MCX services in high-density environments, massive-scale UHD (Ultra-High Definition) video surveillance and analytics, AR/VR/MR, drones and robotics
• Key trends such as the growing prevalence of nationwide hybrid government-commercial broadband networks, production-grade deployments of 3GPP standards-compliant MCX services, LMR-based interim solutions for off-network communications, deployable LTE network assets for wildfire fighting and other disaster relief operations, and 5G NR-equipped portable networks supporting high-bandwidth, low-latency emergency communications.
• Future roadmap for the public safety LTE and 5G market
• Review of public safety LTE/5G engagements worldwide, including a detailed assessment of 18 nationwide public safety broadband projects and additional case studies of 50 dedicated, hybrid, secure MVNO/MOCN and commercial operator-supplied systems
• Spectrum availability, allocation and usage across the global, regional and national domains
• Standardization, regulatory and collaborative initiatives
• Profiles and strategies of 1,700 ecosystem players, including LTE/5G equipment suppliers and public safety-domain specialists
• Strategic recommendations for public safety and government agencies, LTE/5G infrastructure, device and chipset suppliers, LMR vendors, system integrators, and mobile operators
• Market analysis and forecasts from 2023 till 2030

Key Questions Answered:

• The report package provides answers to the following key questions:
• How big is the opportunity for LTE and 5G in the critical communications industry?
• What trends, drivers and challenges are influencing its growth?
• What will the market size be in 2026, and at what rate will it grow?
• Which vertical segments and regions will see the highest percentage of growth?
• What are the operational models and application scenarios of LTE and 5G for public safety, defense, utilities, transportation, oil and gas, mining and other verticals?
• What is the status of fully dedicated, hybrid commercial-private and secure MVNO-based critical communications broadband networks worldwide?
• What are the existing and candidate licensed, unlicensed and shared spectrum frequency bands for the operation of private LTE and 5G networks?
• When will MCX, HPUE, IOPS, 5G MBS, 5G NR sidelink and other 3GPP-defined critical communications features be widely employed?
• How are MCPTT capabilities enabling the transition from narrowband LMR systems to 3GPP-based broadband networks?
• When will FirstNet, Safe-Net, RRF, VIRVE 2.0 and other nationwide public safety broadband networks replace existing digital LMR networks?
• When will 5G-based FRMCS networks supersede GSM-R as the predominant radio technology for railway communications?
• How can satellite backhaul and direct-to-device NTN access expand the reach of 3GPP networks in remote environments?
• How does the integration of URLLC and TSC enable 5G networks to deliver reliable, low-latency connectivity across a broad range of time-critical IIoT applications?
• What are the future prospects of NIB (Network-in-a-Box), COW (Cell-on-Wheels), aerial cell sites and other rapidly deployable LTE/5G network systems?
• Where does network slicing for differentiated service requirements fit in the critical communications landscape?
• What opportunities exist for commercial mobile operators and critical communications service providers?
• When will sub-1 GHz critical communications LTE networks begin their transition to 5G technology?
• Who are the key ecosystem players, and what are their strategies?
• What strategies should LTE/5G equipment suppliers, LMR vendors, system integrators, vertical domain specialists and mobile operators adopt to remain competitive?