Outside of smartphones, it may be the terminal with the largest shipments of 5G

What I want to say today is5G CPE, it may be the largest shipped 5G application device besides 5G mobile phones.

Before talking about CPE, we might as well talk about the most familiar router first.

For many people, when encountering the problem of WiFi signal blind spots, they immediately think of usingadd a routerto solve this problem.

Generally speaking, if relays are added to enhance coverage, they are divided intowiredas well aswirelessTwo connection methods:

This way, the secondary router receives the signal from the primary router and then sends out its own Wi-Fi signal.

This is how the router boosts the signal and improves coverage, and usingHow CPE extends WiFi coverage, have something in common with this.

Here is a formal introduction to what CPE is? The so-called CPE, its full name in English is Customer Premise Equipment, which is called "customer terminal equipment" in the industry, or literally translated into customer premise terminal in English.

It is a device that directly interfaces between the user end and the operator. In addition to CPE, mobile phones, telephones, firewalls, optical modems and other equipment also fall into this category.

The CPE can receive the mobile network by inserting the SIM card and convert it intoWired interface or WiFi signal.

Therefore, we can also simply understand it as a combination of router and accompanying WiFi.

However, if CPE only strengthens the Wi-Fi signal, it would be a disadvantage. After all, Wi-Fi routers can also do it.

The really great thing about CPE is that it canRelay the mobile phone signal (such as 4G signal) twice and then send out the Wi-Fi signal.

For base stations, CPE is a device that can convert the received 4G signal into a WiFi signal and provide it to nearby devices.

Of course, in addition to the signals sent by the base station, the CPE "transmits" the signals sent by the wireless router/wireless AP. In other words, CPE can support simultaneous access to wired, WLAN, and 5G multiple networks.

In conclusion,Using CPE to re-relay operator network signals has significant advantages:

first, the CPE antenna has stronger gain and higher power, and its signal sending and receiving capabilities are unmatched by mobile phones.This means that where mobile phones cannot find signals, CPE may not have this problem.

Secondly, CPE can convert 4G/5G signals into WiFi signals for hardware devices to use for networking, and can support multiple devices to access the Internet at the same time.

again, CPE can be used by inserting a SIM card, eliminating the need for wiring, and has the characteristics of easy installation.Needless to say, it goes without saying that CPE for home use can be plugged in and used.Even poison powder industrial CPE has a variety of installation methods, such as ceiling-mounted, pole-mounted, etc., and can be flexibly installed in various high places such as outdoor street light poles, overpasses, tree trunks, etc.

at last, multi-network backup switching to ensure stable network connection. 

Although, for many people, CPE is still a relatively unfamiliar concept, or an unfamiliar product. But this is not a new thing that emerged in the 5G era. 4G CPE has been relatively popular in some countries or regions a few years ago. Just because my country's infrastructure is developed, operators are eager to bring optical fiber to their doorsteps, and the speed of 4G CPE is indeed not as fast as optical fiber, so it is not well-known in China's civilian field.

But just because it’s not famous doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist. In fact, there are more than just CPEs, and they can also be divided into categories based on specific application scenarios.Multiple types, such as consumer-grade CPE, commercial-grade CPE and industrial-grade CPE:

With the trend of consumption upgrading, it is expected that a home will need to connect hundreds of devices in the future. Therefore, the network needs to support high bandwidth, large connections, high reliability, and low latency. As the main network of the home network, 5G CPE Just meet the relevant needs.The home consumer market will also become the most competitive and intuitive application market.

Although the equipment required in hospitals, office buildings, and official business office environments is indoor products, there is no doubt that the power and reliability levels are higher than those for home use.The market share is not necessarily much smaller than that of home use, but the visibility is much lower.

The establishment of a wireless LAN based on 5G coverage by 5G private network and CPE will be a typical scenario for advanced factory communication networks. This part of the market has the highest requirements for equipment reliability, dust, high temperature, delay, disconnection rate, etc.As a professional field, the entry barrier is the highest, competition is less fierce than the previous two, and the market potential is large, but the release may be the slowest.

It is said that shared bicycles solve the problem of the last mile of travel. This sentence can also be true when applied to CPE:CPE solves the problem of the last mile of network connection.It is conceivable that the application scenarios of CPE will continue to be enriched in the future, and it will be widely used in wireless network access in various scenarios such as rural areas, towns, hospitals, factories, communities, airports, train stations, etc., which can save the cost of laying wired networks. .Rich application scenarios naturally correspond to huge market capacity.

According to forecasts, the 5G CPE market’s annual shipment volume will exceed 20 million units.Countries around the world are now in the construction period of 5G networks. In the next few years, the market's annual shipments may even be as high as about 30 million units.

In addition, based on the estimated price of 5,000 yuan for 5G HUB (similar to 5G CPE) previously released by China Mobile, the total annual market for 5G CPE equipment will reach 100 billion yuan.

Faced with such a huge market cake, chip manufacturers, module manufacturers, operators, communication equipment companies, router companies, computer companies, mobile phone companies, Internet companies, etc. will not let go of this rare opportunity.The following is a partial list of manufacturers based on existing information (welcome to catch bugs).

Some manufacturers entering the 5G CPE market

After the arrival of the 5G era, CPE has become the most popular terminal equipment besides mobile phones.From the beginning, the public did not understand this "new appearance"NowWhat do the acronyms in the field of vision mean? Now that 5G CPE products have truly entered the market, we have seen the rise of CPE.

There is no doubt that CPE will occupy an important and prominent position in the future.The SIM card + 5G CPE model is also considered a powerful subversive of optical fiber + router.