5G SDN Market Size, Share, Opportunities, And Trends By Application (Network Automation, Network Protection), By Enterprise Size (Small & Medium, Large), By End-User (Telecom Service Provider, Cloud Service Provider, Enterprise (BFSI, Healthcare, Government, Manufacturing, Retail, Others)), And By Geography - Forecasts From 2025 To 2030

5G SDN Market Size:

The global 5G SDN market is expected to grow at a CAGR of 35.94% between 2025 and 2030.

5G SDN Market Highlights:

• Leveraging SDN is enhancing 5G network virtualization and automation capabilities.
• Adopting SD-WAN is improving remote work connectivity and application performance.
• Driving economic growth is boosting the 5G SDN market with significant GDP contributions.
• Automating network management is streamlining 5G service deployment and security.

5G SDN Market Growth Drivers:

• Leveraging SDN for the 5G Networks

As 5G's adoption and rollout accelerate, Innovative uses of the technology show potential in a wide variety of settings. SDN approaches have been viewed as promising facilitators for this carrier cloud vision, which will almost certainly play a critical part in the architecture of 5G wireless networks. SDN's significance in 5G wireless networks stems from its capacity to enable new features such as network virtualization, automation, and the creation of new services on top of virtualized resources in safe and trustworthy networks.

For instance:

• According to Infosys, SDN and 5G will transform the network capabilities by bringing in significant opportunities for artificial intelligence (AI), automation, and network virtualization. In the coming years, the cost might be lowered, and enhanced delivery for network-based services, information, and telecommunication (IT) systems, and applications.

Remote work needs are met with SD-WAN

SD-WAN solutions have gained prominence for enhancing broadband connectivity, optimizing application performance, and enabling access to diverse enterprise applications. The flexibility and efficiency of remote operations are improved through SD-WAN adoption. While system integrators initially embarked on their SDN journey through data center networks, like Cisco ACI and VMware NSX, there's a growing provider emphasis on SD-WAN.

• In November 2022, VMware continues to strengthen its position in SD-WAN leadership through advancements that empower businesses to securely link their dispersed, multi-cloud edges. These novel attributes and functionalities cater to three pivotal transformational domains: Cloud, workforce, and application evolution.

5G boost to global GDP

According to Qualcomm, the 5G market is driving economic growth, sustainability, and resilience. 5G connectivity will become vital in the coming years as 5G will advance mobile connectivity from connecting people to people, and people to information.  Additionally, 5G is expected to have a positive impact on the overall GDP in the coming years. It is expected that sales of 5G-enabled devices will reach US$13.1 trillion by 2035, and the jobs created with the help of this technology are expected to reach between 22.3 and 22.8 million by 2035.

Moreover, according to Accenture, 5G is the world’s next breakthrough, and is expected to have a significant impact on the American economy. According to this report, 5G is expected to transform 16 million jobs across all cross from public, private, and government. The United States economy is expected to drive up to US$2.7 trillion in additional growth sales output, of which 5G will add up to US$1.5 trillion to the economy, which is larger than the GDP of 94% countries in the world.

5G SDN Market Emerging Opportunities:

• Network Automation & Network Protection

Network Automation enables you to speed up application deployment by automating network and security provisioning and management through the complete application lifecycle and across the data center and cloud environments. In a Cisco-commissioned survey by Analysys Mason on network automation, 75% of service providers see it as a top-5 business priority. About 73% aim to reduce opex, aligning with network economics transformation, while 46% leverage automation for quicker service deployment, crucial in the 5G era's monetization strategies.

5G SDN Market Key Development:

• In March 2020, the Philippines' largest digital services provider, PLDT, and its wireless business, Smart Communications, announced that they are now ready to deploy 5G services on Cisco's new unified SDN transport infrastructure. Converting to a converged SDN transport network simplifies the network, boosts capacity, and enhances scalability while ensuring a consistent and superior customer experience.

The countries have undertaken various measures, which have complemented the overall market growth. For instance, Ensono is a US-based network operator in order to meets the growing demand for networking and security services.

List of Top 5G SDN Companies:

Some of the leading players in the market include Cisco, VMware, among others. The product offerings of the major corporations include the following:

COMPANY NAME	PRODUCT NAME	DESCRIPTION
CISCO	Application Centric Infrastructure (ACI)	ACI is Cisco's flagship SDN solution that helps organizations to automate network provisioning and deliver application-centric policies. The solution offers centralized automation, policy-based management, and supports multi-vendor environments.
VMware	NSX	NSX is a network virtualization and security platform that enables the creation and management of logical networks. It provides a centralized management console and supports multi-hypervisor and hybrid cloud infrastructures.
Big Switch Networks	Big Cloud Fabric	Big Cloud Fabric is a next-generation data center switching fabric that uses SDN to automate and scale networks. The technology streamlines network operations, enables an open environment, and can serve both physical and virtual workloads.

5G SDN Market Scope:

Report Metric	Details
Growth Rate	CAGR of 35.94% from 2025 to 2030
Study Period	2020 to 2030
Historical Data	2020 to 2023
Base Year	2025
Forecast Period	2025 – 2030
Forecast Unit (Value)	USD Billion
Segments Covered	Application Enterprise Size End-User Geography
Companies Covered	Intel Corporation Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd SAMSUNG Calsoft Inc Cisco
Regions Covered	North America, South America, Europe, Middle East and Africa, Asia Pacific
Customization Scope	Free report customization with purchase

 

The 5G SDN market is analyzed into the following segments:

• By Application
  • Network Automation
  • Network Protection
• By Enterprise Size
  • Small & Medium
  • Large
• By End-User
  • Telecom Service Provider
  • Cloud Service Provider
  • Enterprise
    • BFSI
    • Healthcare
    • Government
    • Manufacturing
    • Retail
    • Others
• By Geography
  • Americas
    • United States
    • Others
  • Europe, the Middle East, and Africa
    • Germany
    • UK
    • Others
  • Asia Pacific
    • China
    • Japan
    • South Korea
    • Others

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1. INTRODUCTION

1.1. Market Overview

1.2. Market Definition

1.3. Market Segmentation

2. RESEARCH METHODOLOGY  

2.1. Research Data

2.2. Assumptions

3. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

3.1. Research Highlights

4. MARKET DYNAMICS

4.1. Market Drivers

4.2. Market Restraints

4.3. Bandwidth Availability

4.4. Number of Users

5. GOVERNMENT REGULATIONS/POLICIES

6. 5G SDN MARKET, BY APPLICATION

6.1. Network Automation

6.2. Network Protection

7. 5G SDN MARKET, BY ENTERPRISE SIZE

7.1. Small & Medium

7.2. Large

8. 5G SDN MARKET, BY END-USER

8.1. Introduction

8.2. Telecom Service Provider

8.3. Cloud Service Provider

8.4. Enterprise

8.4.1. BFSI

8.4.2. Healthcare

8.4.3. Government

8.4.4. Manufacturing

8.4.5. Retail

8.4.6. Others

9. 5G SDN MARKET, BY GEOGRAPHY

9.1. Introduction

9.2. Americas

9.2.1. United States

9.2.2. Others

9.3. Europe, Middle East and Africa

9.3.1. Germany

9.3.2. UK

9.3.3. Others

9.4. Asia Pacific

9.4.1. China

9.4.2. Japan

9.4.3. South Korea

9.4.4. Others

10. RECENT DEVELOPMENT AND INVESTMENTS

11. COMPETITIVE ENVIRONMENT AND ANALYSIS

11.1. Major Players and Strategy Analysis

11.2. Vendor Competitiveness Matrix

12. COMPANY PROFILES

12.1. Intel Corporation 

12.2. Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd. 

12.3. SAMSUNG 

12.4. Calsoft Inc. 

12.5. Cisco 

12.6. Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson 

12.7. NOKIA

12.8. Intelsat

Intel Corporation

Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd

SAMSUNG

Calsoft Inc

Cisco

Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson

NOKIA

Intelsat