Returning home from Ceragon’s global Sales Kick Off in Cyprus last month, what stayed with me wasn’t a single slide, a strategy presentation, or even a big win from the prior year. It was the feeling in the room. The conversations felt different this year—sharper, more honest, more focused.
The energy was undeniable. But it wasn’t reactive or loud energy. It was grounded. Deliberate. Ready. The kind of momentum that comes from knowing exactly where you stand in a shifting market—and feeling confident about the role you’re prepared to play next.
That distinction matters as we head into 2026. The broadband industry, like Ceragon, is hitting its stride. We’re evolving beyond rapid expansion and into a phase defined by resilience, optimization, and long-term value creation. The companies positioned to win won’t be chasing the latest “shiny ball,” but delivering consistent, measurable outcomes that move their customers forward.
And if Ceragon’s SKO 2026 was any indication, we’re not just watching that shift happen. We’re ready to lead the charge.
What You’ll Learn:
Before we dive deeper, here’s where we see the industry heading…and where we’re leaning in. This article explores:
- Mobile Trends: how networks are shifting from rapid expansion to long-term optimization
- What mobile network operators and service providers are prioritizing in 2026
- What millimeter wave is bringing to the table
- What's happening in end-to-end private wireless
- 2026 Shift: how Ceragon can help deliver results today that optimize for tomorrow
- See it all live at MWC 2026 in Barcelona
- Key Takeaways for 2026 Broadband and Wireless Networks
Mobile Trends: The Broadband Industry Is Shifting from Expansion to Optimization
If the energy at SKO reflected anything, it was this: the market has grown up. The broadband industry is entering a more mature phase of development.
Over the past decade, growth was driven by rapid network expansion, fueled by 5G rollouts, new spectrum availability, and ambitious coverage targets. Today, the focus is changing. Operators are prioritizing long-term network optimization, efficiency, and operational discipline over simply expanding their network footprint.
This transition reflects a broader industry reality. Capital is more constrained. Expectations for uptime and network performance are higher. Network decisions are increasingly evaluated based on total lifecycle value, not just deployment speed.
As a result, broadband strategy in 2026 is less about building faster, and more about building smarter. And that shift sets the stage for what operators are asking for next.
What Mobile Network Operators and ISPs Are Prioritizing This Year
At SKO, one theme kept resurfacing: start conversations with customers by pausing, leaning in, and really listening first.
For more than 30 years as a company, that mindset has shaped how we work with customers. We prioritize taking the time to understand challenges before we act. What we’re hearing from operators around the world is strikingly consistent, and the data backs it up.
You need capacity.
According to the ITU ICT Facts and Figures 2023, mobile broadband subscriptions and data usage continue to grow worldwide, underscoring sustained demand for higher-capacity networks. At the same time, the GSMA Mobile Economy Report 2024 indicates that more than half of global mobile connections are forecasted to be on 5G networks by the end of the decade, reflecting the accelerating pace of next-gen adoption. Growth and capacity needs are no longer theoretical...they're operational.
And that level of demand for the future is pushing operators and service providers to rethink how they build and optimize their networks today.
They are looking for solutions that:
- Prove performance in real-world environments
- Scale seamlessly as capacity and coverage demands evolve
- Deploy quickly without adding complexity or cost
- Integrate cleanly into existing network architectures and infrastructure
- Deliver intelligent, end-to-end visibility, control, and automation
- Are ready for what’s next; not just what’s now
Advanced wireless technologies continue to play a critical role in meeting these needs. According to a 4Q 2024 Dell’Oro Group press release, global microwave transmission equipment revenue grew 7% year over year, driven by continued investment in mobile backhaul to support 5G expansion.
That level of sustained investment reinforces what many operators already know: microwave and wireless backhaul remain solid transport choices for macrocell and small cell deployments—especially in markets where fiber economics are challenging and rapid deployment is essential.
Rather than serving strictly as alternatives to fiber, wireless solutions are also acting as strategic complements: extending reach, accelerating deployments, and improving network resilience where fiber is impractical or inefficient. As traffic grows and capital budgets tighten, that flexibility is becoming a strategic requirement rather than a tactical choice.
Which brings us to one of the most important enablers of the broadband shift: millimeter wave.
Millimeter Wave: How You Can Unlock Capacity without Compromise
Millimeter wave is no longer limited to short, line-of-sight links under sunny-sky conditions. It is becoming a foundational component of high-capacity network design. In fact, in many environments, traditional microwave bands are becoming saturated, leaving operators with little room to grow.
Millimeter wave provides the additional spectrum and capacity networks now require. And because E-band and V-band are unlicensed or lightly licensed spectrum, ongoing spectrum fees, and overall OPEX, can be significantly reduced. The result is that millimeter wave is becoming not just a technical necessity, but an economically smart choice as well.
Public market research shows the global telecom millimeter wave market growing at more than 30% CAGR through 2030. That broader growth trajectory reflects something bigger: high frequency spectrum is moving beyond trials and into trusted, sustained commercial deployments.
Why?
As data consumption accelerates and cell densification increases, operators are looking closer at mmWave to bring fiber-like speeds without those all too familiar fiber deployment headaches. In particular, E-band (70/80 GHz) is gaining traction for short- to mid-range backhaul and fronthaul, where multi-gigabit capacity and rapid deployment are critical. And with higher transmit (Tx) power options and antenna auto-aligning systems, you don’t have to compromise distance or availability for capacity.
This is where purpose-built design matters. Self-aligning antenna systems and integrated, engineered solutions simplify deployments, reduce installation errors, and accelerate time to revenue—especially in dense environments where precision and uptime are non-negotiable.
When deployed strategically, millimeter wave enables:
- Multi-gigabit throughput in compact form factors
- Extended reach without sacrificing availability
- Rapid deployment in dense urban and suburban environments
- Efficient spectrum utilization for high-capacity links
- Scalable architectures that support evolving 5G and future 6G demands
- Lower overall costs
For Ceragon, this is not a single-product play. It is a portfolio strategy. With one of the industry’s widest and deepest microwave and millimeter wave portfolios, including Siklu by Ceragon’s E- and V-band portfolio, and hybrid multiband configurations, we help operators design networks that balance reach, capacity, and economics without compromise.
And while mobile network evolution gets much of the spotlight, another transformation is happening in parallel.
End-to-End Private Wireless: Mission-Critical Networks for a New Era
Private wireless networks, or dedicated networks designed for secure, deterministic, and localized connectivity, are quickly taking their place in the mainstream. For enterprises and public organizations, connectivity is no longer simply an IT consideration; it is operational infrastructure that directly impacts safety, productivity, and service continuity.
Industry data reinforces this shift. According to Grand View Research’s private 5G network market forecast, the private 5G market is projected to grow from just a few billion dollars today to well into the hundreds of billions by the early 2030s. That kind of growth makes one thing clear: private networks have moved beyond experimentation and into real, business-critical infrastructure.
This momentum is especially visible in sectors such as:
- Smart cities and public safety
- Oil and gas
- Mining
- Utilities
- Defense
In these environments, downtime has real-world consequences. The most demanding deployments share common characteristics:
- Harsh or remote operating environments
- Growing and unpredictable capacity requirements
- High consequences for service interruption
- Demand for future-ready applications such as automation, robotics & edge intelligence
Expectations for private networks now mirror those of larger-scale public deployments: carrier-grade security, high availability, and long-term lifecycle support.
Meeting these requirements demands more than connectivity alone. It requires high-capacity wireless technologies, resilient network architectures, and intelligent network management that delivers visibility, control, and the ability to evolve over time.
At Ceragon, we’ve spent decades designing and supporting large-scale networks, and we bring that same discipline, care, and long-term thinking to private networks as well.
Private wireless isn’t a pilot project anymore. It’s real infrastructure—the kind organizations depend on every day—and it deserves to be designed, deployed, and supported with that level of responsibility.
Why 2026 Marks a Shift in Broadband and Wireless Strategy
When you step back and look at all of this together, a pattern emerges.
In 2026 and beyond, we're seeing network strategy increasingly defined by:
- Strategic optimization and smarter thinking over experimentation
- Proven performance over untested promises
- Long-term reliability over short-term gains
What I felt coming out of Cyprus wasn’t excitement for something shiny or new. It was a quiet confidence, the kind that comes from knowing the challenges are real, the solutions are proven, and the work is already happening.
Momentum doesn’t always mean accelerating. Sometimes it simply means being clear about where you’re headed…and having the discipline to stay the course.
And that is what defines this moment in broadband—not hype, not headlines, but disciplined progress.
For Ceragon, this shift is not something we’re reacting to; it’s something we’ve been building toward. With three decades of wireless expertise, one of the industry’s broadest microwave and millimeter wave portfolios, and a growing end-to-end private wireless ecosystem, we’re aligned with where the market is going. We understand the pressures operators and enterprises face, and we’re investing accordingly: in performance, flexibility, and long-term partnerships.
2026 isn’t just another year on the calendar. It’s a year to optimize, and we’re ready to help you.
Join Us at MWC 2026 in Barcelona
The broadband shift isn’t theoretical. It’s happening now. And there’s no better place to continue this conversation than at Mobile World Congress 2026 in Barcelona.
If you’re planning your network strategy for the year ahead, whether it’s optimizing transport, expanding with millimeter wave capacity, or building resilient private wireless infrastructure, we’d welcome the opportunity to connect.
Let’s talk about what optimization looks like in your network.
📍 Schedule a meeting with the Ceragon team at MWC 2026 in Barcelona.
Key Takeaways for 2026 Broadband and Wireless Networks
If I had to summarize the broadband shift in one word, it would be: optimization.
- The broadband industry is shifting from expansion-driven growth to optimization-focused maturity
- Wireless transport remains a strategic complement to fiber for capacity, reach, and resilience
- Millimeter wave is becoming essential for high-capacity, densified networks with high-capacity demands, and it’s not limited to short distances anymore
- Private wireless networks are becoming core infrastructure across critical industries
- Network success in 2026 will favor proven technologies and long-term operational stability
- Ceragon is built for this shift — with the portfolio depth, experience, and long-term focus to help operators and enterprises deploy with confidence
And from where I sit, that’s a shift worth leaning into — and leading.
