Dell’Oro Group Finds Worldwide RAN Market Stable in 1Q 2026

Dell’Oro Group reports that worldwide radio access network revenue, excluding services, grew at a low-single-digit year-over-year rate in 1Q 2026, extending a fifth straight quarter of -4% to +4% annual variation.

Market Overview

The report characterizes RAN trends in 2025 as continuing into the first quarter of 2026, with revenue staying within a relatively narrow year-over-year range.

Worldwide RAN revenue excluding services increased at a low-single-digit year-over-year rate, marking the fifth consecutive quarter in the -4% to +4% window.

Analyst Views on Drivers and Constraints

Stefan Pongratz said, “This positive start does not alter the fundamentals shaping the growth prospects of this market,” adding that the improved conditions relate to regional mix and easier comparisons after sharp declines.

Pongratz also stated, “Meanwhile, RAN remains growth-constrained, and operators are increasingly preparing for a slower mobile broadband growth environment,” according to the report.

Regional and Supplier Signals

The report says growth in EMEA and APAC offset weaker activity in North America during 1Q 2026.

It also states that revenue rankings were unchanged in 1Q 2026, based on trailing four-quarter worldwide revenue, with Huawei, Ericsson, Nokia, ZTE, and Samsung listed as the top five RAN suppliers.

Segmented Market Imbalances

Dell’Oro Group reports that APAC excluding China improved while North America and China remained under pressure.

The firm attributes continuing regional imbalances to the uneven path of recovery described in the 1Q 2026 RAN update.

Report Coverage

The RAN Quarterly Report covers manufacturers’ and market revenue across multiple RAN segments, including 5G NR Sub-7 GHz, 5G NR mmWave, LTE, Macro BTS, small cells, Massive MIMO, and Cloud RAN.

It also tracks the RAN market by region and includes a four-quarter outlook, as described in the article.

This Analyst Signals brief reflects a neutral, fact-based summary of the original research note.