The telecom industry has witnessed rapid 5G deployments globally. Digitally-enabled services such as 5G cameras, AR-assisted maintenance, remote control, and robotic patrolling are now being widely used in verticals such as mining, healthcare, transport, and manufacturing. But despite the rapid deployment and adoption of 5G, there is still room for considerable improvement to unleash the true potential of this technology. With 6G technology likely to be commercially deployed only by 2030, the existing 5G technology might soon need to level up.

5G commercialization remains front of mind for telecom operators, as they continue to lay out substantial capital reservices to build out 5G network infrastructure. However, according to global technology intelligence firm ABI Research, telcos have been unable to tap into the true value of 5G as their underlying networks lack ‘consumability’.

5G networks are reaching scale in many developed nations, delivering an exceptional user experience and higher data rates to consumers and enterprise users. 5G has proven to be 90% more energy-efficient than 4G in terms of energy consumption per unit of traffic.

Frost & Sullivan finds that global demand for 5G network infrastructure by communication service providers (CSPs) is considerable and driven by consumer and enterprise needs. The consumer market drove 4G revenues for CSPs and will still be essential in 5G, but there is little room for growth.

The worldwide Fixed Wireless Access (FWA) broadband services market has been growing rapidly, supplying broadband access to homes and businesses. 5G network deployments are expected to accelerate FWA market growth in the years to come.

The global 5G infrastructure market size was valued at USD 720.6 Mn in 2018, is projected to reach USD 50,640.4 Mn by the end of 2026, exhibiting a CAGR of 76.29% according to a report from Fortune Business Insights.