This research evaluates Self Organizing Network (SON) capabilities and solutions. It analyzes the function of SON and evaluates the benefits of deployment and operation. The report includes forecasts from 2020 through 2025. The report is a balance between technical assessment of SON in terms of implementation, operations, optimization, and future issues with business issues. The business issues and opportunities sections provide critical analysis of the impact of SON from a cost savings and network efficiency perspective. Wireless carrier business operations groups will want to pay particular attention to the issues evaluated in this research to better understand the post-SON network.

LTE and 5G provide substantial benefits to wireless carriers including greater capacity for wireless applications and services. This greater supply of bandwidth will stimulate the development, implementation and operation of many new applications, each with very unique quality of service, bandwidth, and performance needs. 5G networks in particular will be much more complex and this will facilitate a need for improved operations and OSS. A key driver for improving OSS for LTE and 5G systems, the Self Organizing Network (SON) has been introduced as part of the network framework. Mind Commerce sees SON having a dramatically positive effect on network operations and OSS.

SON is largely a software-only solution today. In other words, SON is not a physical solution (such as Remote Electrical Tilt solutions). Mobile optimization comes in many forms ranging from RF to QoS for data management and applications. SON and related technologies/solutions fill a key role as it provides the ability to provide both static and near real-time information. It is important to note that smart antennas, DAS, and cloud RAN are all in the same family of optimizing operations, but not considered all part of SON.

It is also important to recognize that smart antennas, DAS, and cloud RAN are all in the same family of optimizing operations, and while related (in the network optimization family), are not considered part of SON in the strictest sense. Working hand-in-hand with SON to optimize wireless networks, smart antennas provide simultaneous and efficient coverage for 2G, 3G, and LTE. This translates into higher throughput and improved coverage for when and where customers need it. While this is helpful in terms of pre-5G optimization, it will arguably become critical for support of 5G network optimization and support for true 5G mobility with continuous connection within a given coverage area.

Target Audience:
  • ICT infrastructure providers
  • RF performance optimization vendors
  • NGOs and government R&D organizations
  • Managed communication services vendors

Select Report Findings:
  • The global multi-vendor SON platform market will reach $7.28B USD by 2025
  • The global market for SON security solutions and updates will reach $9.09B by 2025
  • SON will increasingly be used for non-network functions including business data analytics
  • SON will be relied upon for location analytics as a network-based complement to smartphone GPS