The global market for LTE capable antennas for wireless infrastructure, including passive and active types, is set to reach almost $4 billion in 2015, according to the latest forecast from ABI Research.

Multi-band antennas are the hot segment of this market. "LTE does not have the formal spectrum standardization of previous air interfaces such as 3G,” according to research director Lance Wilson, “so multi-band antennas that can operate over a number of different frequency slots offer a solution to the problem of rapidly growing LTE wireless data traffic.”

Active antennas are certainly part of the overall mix but their cost—other than remote electrical tilt antennas (RET)—has certainly limited market penetration for now. The antenna vendor ecosystem is slightly unusual in that there are multiple tiers and many participants. The bulk of these vendors are small companies that command only fractional percentages of the total available market. ABI Research believes that some market consolidation is likely. The scenario for active antennas is a bit different, with antenna manufacturers normally partnering with equipment builders.

Has 4G provided stimulus to the antenna market? “LTE-capable antennas are now driving overall market growth,” says Wilson, “and this scenario should continue over the next few years.”

ABI Research’s LTE Basestation Antenna Deployments Accelerate as the 4G Network Builds Out study looks at the LTE-capable antenna market and how multi-band antennas will integrate into the overall wireless infrastructure ecosystem.

This report is part of the firm’s LTE & 5G Market Research. For more information visit www.abiresearch.com.