Global telecoms operators are investing in 5G for efficiency and they will see significant 5G revenue coming in early 2020, says analyst firm TBR.
“Operators will initially leverage 5G for traditional uses of the network: to provide traditional cellular service and to provide high-speed broadband,” said TBR telecom senior analyst Chris Antlitz.
According to TBR’s 1Q18 5G Telecom Market Landscape, fixed wireless broadband and mobile 5G will be the two predominant use cases for 5G through 2020, with other use cases set to follow in the early 2020s, particularly as it pertains to Internet of Things (IoT).
“Fixed wireless is a tool some operators will use to more cost-effectively protect and grow their internet service subscriber bases, while 5G technology will be leveraged for mobility to provide network efficiencies as well as faster data speeds and lower latency,” Antlitz concluded.
TBR says China, Japan, South Korea and the US will account for over 85% of CSP 5G capex spending. Operators in these countries have made it a strategic priority to deploy 5G at scale, with the preliminary focus on the fixed wireless broadband and mobile broadband use cases, and IoT to follow.