Telecom Millimeter Wave MMW Market – Global Industry Size, Share, Trends, Opportunity, and Forecast Segmented By Licensing Type (Fully-licensed, Light-licensed, Unlicensed), By Frequency Band (V-band, E-band), By Application (Military, Civil), Region, By Competition Forecast, 2021-2031F

Forecast Period	2027-2031
Market Size (2025)	USD 824.11 Million
CAGR (2026-2031)	20.54%
Fastest Growing Segment	Light-licensed
Largest Market	North America
Market Size (2031)	USD 2527.97 Million

Market Overview

The Global Telecom Millimeter Wave MMW Market will grow from USD 824.11 Million in 2025 to USD 2527.97 Million by 2031 at a 20.54% CAGR. Global Telecom Millimeter Wave refers to the radio frequency spectrum ranging from 24 GHz to 100 GHz that is utilized to facilitate high-speed and low-latency wireless communications. The primary driver supporting this market is the escalating global demand for substantial bandwidth capacity to sustain dense 5G network deployments in urban environments. This fundamental requirement for enhanced mobile broadband speeds and capacity acts as the principal catalyst for infrastructure investment and technological advancement within the sector.

However, a significant challenge impeding broader market expansion is the limited signal propagation capabilities of these high-frequency waves which struggle to penetrate physical obstacles such as buildings and foliage. This technical constraint necessitates a dense and costly infrastructure network to ensure reliable service coverage. According to the Global mobile Suppliers Association, in 2024, the shipment volume of 5G devices featuring millimeter-wave capability was projected to increase by 22 percent. This statistic illustrates that adoption continues to rise despite the logistical and financial hurdles associated with network densification.

Key Market Drivers

The accelerated deployment of 5G network infrastructure serves as the fundamental engine driving the global telecom millimeter wave market, primarily because high-band spectrum is essential for realizing the ultra-wide bandwidth promises of the fifth generation of mobile technology. Telecom operators are aggressively upgrading their network architectures to support high-frequency bands, which are crucial for delivering multi-gigabit speeds and minimal latency in densely populated urban environments. This infrastructure build-out is heavily dependent on regulatory bodies releasing spectrum licenses that allow service providers to commercialize these frequencies. According to the Global mobile Suppliers Association, April 2024, in the 'Spectrum Auction Update', 140 operators across 29 countries held public licenses for high-band spectrum usage to facilitate these high-capacity network deployments.

Concurrently, the expanding adoption of Fixed Wireless Access (FWA) solutions has emerged as a critical use case, utilizing millimeter wave capabilities to deliver fiber-like broadband speeds to residential and enterprise premises without physical cables. This technology allows operators to monetize their spectrum assets efficiently by targeting areas where fiber deployment is logistically challenging or cost-prohibitive. The massive data throughput capability of millimeter wave allows FWA to support bandwidth-intensive applications such as 4K video streaming and cloud gaming. According to Ericsson, June 2024, in the 'Ericsson Mobility Report', Fixed Wireless Access data traffic is projected to account for nearly 30 percent of total mobile network data traffic by 2029. This consumption trend is underpinned by the broader ecosystem growth; according to 5G Americas, in 2024, global 5G wireless connections reached 1.9 billion in the first quarter, signaling a robust user base demanding the enhanced capacity that millimeter wave provides.

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Key Market Challenges

The restricted signal propagation of millimeter-wave frequencies constitutes a severe impediment to market scalability. Because these high-frequency signals cannot travel long distances or penetrate common physical barriers like walls and glass effectively, telecommunication operators face a requirement for extreme network densification. This creates a scenario where achieving continuous coverage demands the installation of significantly more base stations per square kilometer compared to lower-frequency bands. The resulting exponential increase in capital expenditure and operational costs for site acquisition, backhaul, and power makes widespread deployment financially precarious for many service providers.

This financial and logistical burden directly restricts the commercial viability of the technology to niche urban pockets rather than broad national networks, causing actual commercialization to lag significantly behind initial testing phases. According to the Global mobile Suppliers Association, in July 2025, while 203 operators globally were investing in millimeter-wave technology through trials or licenses, only 24 operators had successfully launched commercial 5G networks using this spectrum. This stark disparity highlights how the prohibitive economics of overcoming propagation deficits continue to stall mass market adoption and confine the spectrum's utility to limited high-traffic zones.

Key Market Trends

The deployment of Private 5G mmWave networks for Industry 4.0 is emerging as a dominant trend, utilizing the spectrum's low latency to support industrial automation. Manufacturing sectors are adopting these dedicated networks to handle massive data loads in environments where Wi-Fi faces capacity limitations. This transition is accelerating as enterprises realize rapid economic benefits from high-performance private infrastructure rather than relying solely on public connectivity. According to Nokia, June 2024, in the 'Industrial Digitalization Report', 78 percent of enterprises reported a positive return on investment within six months of deploying private wireless networks, confirming the commercial validity of this application.

Simultaneously, the integration of Artificial Intelligence into network optimization is vital for managing complex millimeter-wave beamforming. Since high-band signals are vulnerable to obstruction, operators are deploying AI algorithms to dynamically adjust beam direction and power levels. This automation solves propagation challenges and improves energy efficiency without compromising throughput. According to Ericsson, June 2024, in the 'Mobility Report', the application of AI-based reinforcement learning enabled Swisscom to reduce cell downlink transmission power by 20 percent, illustrating how machine intelligence effectively mitigates the operational costs associated with dense high-frequency networks.

Segmental Insights

The light-licensed segment is emerging as the fastest-growing category within the global telecom millimeter wave market due to its ability to balance cost-efficiency with reliable performance. This expansion is primarily driven by the increasing reliance on the 70 and 80 GHz E-band frequencies for high-capacity 5G backhaul, a trend supported by streamlined registration processes from regulatory bodies like the Federal Communications Commission. By providing interference protection comparable to fully licensed spectrum but with lower entry costs and faster deployment timelines, light-licensing allows network operators to effectively meet surging bandwidth demands while maintaining economical infrastructure expansion.

Regional Insights

North America maintains a leading position in the global telecom millimeter wave market, primarily driven by the rapid commercialization of 5G infrastructure. This dominance is supported by strategic regulatory actions, specifically the release of high-frequency spectrum bands by the Federal Communications Commission. Additionally, the presence of major technology developers and strong demand for high-speed data services accelerates network deployment. These elements create a robust ecosystem that encourages the continuous integration of millimeter wave technology into telecommunications networks throughout the region.

Recent Developments

• In March 2025, Ericsson, NBN Co, and Qualcomm Technologies achieved a record-breaking range extension in the Global Telecom Millimeter Wave MMW Market during live field trials in Australia. The partners successfully transmitted data over a distance of approximately 14 kilometers, attaining download speeds exceeding 1 Gbps and upload speeds over 100 Mbps using commercial mmWave spectrum. This technical breakthrough challenged previous assumptions regarding the range limitations of high-frequency bands. By utilizing advanced extended-range software, the collaboration demonstrated that mmWave technology could effectively deliver ultra-fast Fixed Wireless Access broadband to rural and remote communities, significantly broadening the market's addressable landscape.
• In February 2025, Samsung Electronics announced a strategic expansion of its presence in the Global Telecom Millimeter Wave MMW Market through a major deployment with UScellular. The US-based operator utilized Samsung’s 5G Compact Macro solution, which integrates the radio, antenna, and baseband into a single lightweight unit, to enhance connectivity across the Mid-Atlantic states. This deployment leveraged the 28GHz and 39GHz mmWave spectrum bands to boost the capacity and speed of both mobile and Fixed Wireless Access (FWA) services. The collaboration highlighted the increasing commercial viability of virtualized Radio Access Network (vRAN) architectures combined with high-frequency mmWave technology for regional network modernization.
• In October 2024, Vodafone, Ericsson, and Qualcomm Technologies successfully completed joint trials of 5G millimeter wave technology in the United Kingdom, showcasing the high-capacity potential of the Global Telecom Millimeter Wave MMW Market. Utilizing Ericsson’s AIR 5322 antenna-integrated radio and devices powered by the Snapdragon X65 5G Modem-RF System, the companies achieved peak download speeds of up to 4 Gbps in a fixed wireless access scenario. A separate test conducted at a London stadium demonstrated downlink speeds of 2.8 Gbps, proving the technology's effectiveness in relieving network congestion in densely populated public venues and delivering fiber-like wireless connectivity.
• In June 2024, Qualcomm Technologies, China Mobile, and Xiaomi collaborated to launch China’s first 5G Advanced millimeter wave (mmWave) test platform, signaling a significant technological leap in the Global Telecom Millimeter Wave MMW Market. Unveiled during Mobile World Congress Shanghai, this initiative utilized the Snapdragon X75 Modem-RF System and Xiaomi 14 Pro devices to demonstrate the superior performance of high-frequency bands. The platform successfully supported concurrent multi-user extended reality (XR) gaming with latency lower than 10 milliseconds. This breakthrough validated the capability of 5G mmWave infrastructure to handle immersive, high-bandwidth applications, thereby accelerating the ecosystem's maturity for next-generation digital services.

Key Market Players

• Keysight Technologies, Inc.
• NEC Corporation
• Bridgewave Communications, Inc.
• Siklu Communication Ltd.
• Sage Millimeter, Inc.
• Smiths Group plc
• L3Harris Technologies, Inc.
• Siae Microelettronica S.p.A.
• Vubiq Networks, Inc.
• Millimeter Wave Products Inc

By Licensing Type	By Frequency Band	By Application	By Region
Fully-licensed Light-licensed Unlicensed	V-band E-band	Military Civil	North America Europe Asia Pacific South America Middle East & Africa

Report Scope:

In this report, the Global Telecom Millimeter Wave MMW Market has been segmented into the following categories, in addition to the industry trends which have also been detailed below:

• Telecom Millimeter Wave MMW Market, By Licensing Type:

• Fully-licensed
• Light-licensed
• Unlicensed

• Telecom Millimeter Wave MMW Market, By Frequency Band:

• V-band
• E-band

• Telecom Millimeter Wave MMW Market, By Application:

• Military
• Civil

• Telecom Millimeter Wave MMW Market, By Region:

• North America
• United States
• Canada
• Mexico
• Europe
• France
• United Kingdom
• Italy
• Germany
• Spain
• Asia Pacific
• China
• India
• Japan
• Australia
• South Korea
• South America
• Brazil
• Argentina
• Colombia
• Middle East & Africa
• South Africa
• Saudi Arabia
• UAE