Connectivity
Connecting devices, places and people reliably.
Connectivity sells a reliable path between devices. A factory sensor may send tiny messages for years on one battery; a video link needs much more capacity; a remote vessel may need satellites. Speed is only part of the job. Reach, power use, reliability and the time a message takes to arrive can decide which technology wins.
Suppliers sell radio modules, antennas, fibre and network equipment, or recurring access to a service. Private networks serve a particular site, while public operators spread infrastructure across many users. A component selected for a product can lead to repeat orders, but the customer still has to launch and sell that product.
Market size & opportunity
Gartner’s July 2026 forecast puts worldwide communications-services spending at US$1.354 trillion in 2026. This is a broad service market, not a market estimate for antennas or radio chips. Equipment suppliers instead depend on operator investment, device production and replacement cycles.
Ericsson’s updated 2026 outlook counts nearly 3.3 billion 5G subscriptions after the second quarter and forecasts 6.4 billion by the end of 2031. Subscriptions measure adoption, not unique people or supplier revenue. More connections can help demand, but prices, traffic per connection and the hardware content determine who earns what.
Market outlook
Mobile operator revenue
Worldwide · US$ billion per year
- 2025Study baseline1,190
- 2030Forecast1,360
Revenue earned by mobile operators, not their contribution to GDP. This is one part of connectivity; equipment and component suppliers address a share of operators’ spending.
GSMAForecast published
Recent progress
5G is becoming more specialised. Ericsson’s June 2026 report counted 84 commercial network-slicing offerings, up from 65 six months earlier. Slicing lets operators reserve network resources for particular service needs, such as more predictable performance in crowded places. An announced offering still needs paying users and dependable delivery.
6G remains a development programme rather than a finished replacement network. ITU’s timetable accepts proposed radio technologies between February 2027 and February 2029. For suppliers today, 5G upgrades and specific customer deployments are nearer commercial evidence than a 6G demonstration. A faster laboratory link does not by itself settle coverage, power use or deployment cost.
Sources
- Gartner · Communications-services spending, July 2026
- Ericsson · Updated mobile subscriptions outlook, 2026
- Ericsson · Mobility Report, June 2026
- ITU · IMT-2030 development timetable
Updated
Research & reports
No ETE reports have been published on this theme yet.