LONDON, UK: The total worldwide microwave equipment market hit $1.4 billion in 3Q09, down eight percent from 2Q09.

This is according to market research firm Infonetics Research's third quarter (3Q09) Microwave Equipment market size, market share, and forecast report.

Microwave satellite replace wireline for backhaul

Richard Webb, Infonetics Research, directing analyst, WiMAX, microwave, and mobile devices, said: “For the first time since the recession began, the microwave equipment market has been affected by the slowdown in operator capital expenditures."

"However, due to the expansive growth in mobile traffic driven by mobile broadband adoption, we see the drivers for microwave backhaul remaining strong, and so view this as a growth ‘bump’ rather than being indicative of any lasting malaise,” Webb notes.

Microwave Equipment Market Highlights
The market is dominated by mobile backhaul microwave equipment, and as more service providers upgrade their networks to HSPA+ and LTE, the need for enhanced mobile backhaul bandwidth will continue to drive the microwave equipment market.

Mobile backhaul market to grow 60pc in 2009
 
The key technology trend in the microwave market is the shift from TDM-only equipment to Ethernet-capable gear, driven by increasing bandwidth needs.

Point-to-multipoint microwave and millimeter wave are two technologies likely to become significant drivers of the overall microwave equipment market.
 
Ericsson and NEC together garner nearly half of all microwave equipment revenue.

Chinese vendor Huawei posted the strongest gains in microwave equipment market share in both 3Q09 and 2Q09.

The report, published quarterly, tracks TDM microwave equipment, dual Ethernet/TDM microwave and Ethernet-only equipment, each split by backhaul, transport, and access.