According to a new AI RAN Advanced Research Report published by Dell’Oro Group, cumulative AI RAN revenue is projected to reach $35 B over the next five years (2026-2030).  However, AI RAN is not expected to expand the overall RAN market.

“Our market assessment and long-term AI RAN position remain unchanged,” said Stefan Pongratz, Vice President at Dell’Oro Group. “AI RAN is already happening and will scale ahead of 6G.  At the same time, these tools will enhance the RAN, but they are unlikely to expand the overall RAN market. Even as suppliers introduce new software-based subscription models, we expect AI RAN to generate little, if any, incremental RAN revenue the end of the forecast period,” continued Pongratz.

Additional highlights from the June 2026 AI RAN Advanced Research Report:

• The base-case forecast assumes that AI RAN will not expand the RAN market. Nevertheless, AI RAN is expected to become an important technology enabler as operators incorporate greater virtualization, intelligence, automation, and O-RAN capabilities into their RAN roadmaps.
• GPU RAN projections have been revised upward—GPU RAN is now expected to be a $1 B+ market by the end of the forecast period.
• In the near term, the AI RAN market will remain centered on AI-for-RAN, single-purpose deployments, non-GPU architectures, D-RAN, and 5G.
• Incumbent RAN radio and baseband suppliers are well-positioned in the initial AI RAN phase, driven primarily by AI-for-RAN upgrades leveraging existing hardware. Per Dell’Oro Group’s regular RAN coverage, the top five RAN suppliers contributed approximately 96 percent of 2025 RAN revenue.  See charts below.

About the Report

Dell’Oro Group’s AI RAN Advanced Research Report includes a 5-year forecast for AI RAN by location, tenancy, technology, and region. To purchase this report, please contact us at [email protected].

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Total & Wireless Telecom Equipment Revenue- top 4 and top 3:

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Analysis (Source: Perplexity.ai AND Google Gemini):

There are three versions of AI-RAN which are not mutually exclusive:

• AI for RAN: Embeds AI into the base software stack to automatically manage radio waves, optimize spectrum efficiency, enhance beamforming, and reduce energy consumption in real time. Nokia, Ericsson, NVIDIA.
• AI on RAN: Uses cell towers and base stations as decentralized computing nodes. This allows telecom networks to host AI workloads locally rather than sending all data to distant cloud servers, providing ultra-low latency for applications like robotics, AR/VR, and autonomous vehicles. Nokia, NVIDIA, and operator trial partners like T-Mobile, Indosat, and SoftBank.
• AI and RAN: Combines the two to support “Networks for AI,” where distributed telecom networks act as an active, intelligent backbone to serve end-user AI traffic. AI-RAN Alliance plus Nokia and NVIDIA as the most visible industry champions.

References:

AI RAN to Reach $35 B Over Next Five Years, According to Dell’Oro Group

NVIDIA AI RAN video:  youtube.com/watch?v=hwLLBfzoSko&t=26

AI-Era Cloud Network Transformation: A Reference Architecture and Implementation Roadmap

Ericsson goes with custom silicon (rather than Nvidia GPUs) for AI RAN

Dell’Oro: RAN Market Stabilized in 2025 with 1% CAG forecast over next 5 years; Opinion on AI RAN, 5G Advanced, 6G RAN/Core risks

Dell’Oro: Analysis of the Nokia-NVIDIA-partnership on AI RAN

RAN silicon rethink – from purpose built products & ASICs to general purpose processors or GPUs for vRAN & AI RAN

Dell’Oro: AI RAN to account for 1/3 of RAN market by 2029; AI RAN Alliance membership increases but few telcos have joined

Dell’Oro: RAN revenue growth in 1Q2025; AI RAN is a conundrum