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Subscriber data management—take a sneak peek at what’s in the latest SDM trends report: CSPs Need 5G Subscriber Data Management for New Revenue.

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Summary

Subscriber data management (SDM) is a critical subsystem of 5G service-based architecture (SBA), the standalone 5G architecture, which CSPs deploy as they seek to monetize their 5G assets. Without this upgrade, including SDM, CSPs limit themselves to 4G monetization. A 5G network without the 5G core and 5G SDM is just a better 4G network. An upgrade to 5G SDM also allows CSPs to modernize and unify their data management and fits well with BSS upgrade plans.

The telecom SDM vendors have long been the leading network equipment providers (NEPs), which continues to this day, as SDM solutions remain very “sticky.” Omdia estimates the SDM software market for mobile telecom will be worth $1.3 billion in 2024 and rise at a 3% CAGR to $1.5 billion by 2029.

5G subscriber data management

In June and July 2024, Omdia surveyed the CSP SDM ecosystem. Eight leading vendors, Alepo, Enea, Ericsson, HPE, Huawei, Mavenir, Nokia, and ZTE participated in this research.

This research focused on the evolution and trends for subscriber data management, particularly to find innovations and trends that will help CSPs expand their markets. Our survey questions included the following topics:

  • Where does SDM fit in the 5G strategy?
  • How does your solution interwork with legacy SDM during the transition to 5G SDM?
  • What are the key drivers and inhibitors for 5G SDM adoption?
  • Who are the subscriber data management vendors?
  • What does AI and the future hold for SDM?
  • What suggestions do you have for CSPs about SDM?

Figure 1 shows the number of CSP customers across all generations for seven vendors, with a heavy concentration among the NEPs. The evolution of mobile networks to the cloud native architecture opens the door for more vendors to enter.

Figure 1: Number of subscriber data management customers by vendor Figure 1: Number of subscriber data management customers by vendor Source: Omdia

Read the full report (see Further reading) for more insights into subscriber data management solutions.

Appendix

Further reading

CSPs Need 5G Subscriber Data Management for New Revenue Streams (August 2024)

Author

Joe Hoffman, Principal Analyst, Service Provider

[email protected]