he rollout of a new generation of telecommunications technology is always a herculean effort played out on a global scale . Telecom operators shell out billions in order to upgrade the infrastructure and software necessary to support faster connectivity , lower latencies , and higher throughput . The faster this massive capital expenditure is completed , the faster carriers can turn their attention to turniconverting their investments into revenue .
The race to deploy 5G ( followed by the almost as hotly-contested race to deploy standalone 5G ) has seen massive investment from network carriers , with the GSMA predicting that mobile network operators worldwide will pour a further $ 1.1 trillion in their 5G networks over the next five years . Not only is the pressure already mounting for telcos to secure new revenue streams in order to generate 5G ROI , but the speed , cost , and physical complexities of deploying 5G are already creating new challenges that operators didn ’ t face during 4G deployment .
In turn , this is creating a fundamental shift in the relationship between mobile network operators and independent telecom infrastructure companies - or tower-cos .
4G vs 5G “ From an infrastructure perspective , the rollout of 5G technology has not been so different from 4G ,” says Michael Riches , CEO of Australia ’ s largest independent tower company , Axicom , adding that both 4G and 5G were deployed on previously untapped spectrum , necessitating the deployment of new antennas . There are some key differences , however , between the rollouts .
Riches notes that , compared to initial 4G deployments , 5G is necessitating the shift from shelter-deployed cell sites to masts , as well as waves of new regulations – which have led to more complex rollouts . Then , there are physical requirements , like the fact that “ the deployment of 5G – and the refresh of the 4G equipment – physically puts more weight on the towers .”
Suresh Sidhu , CEO of EdgePoint Infrastructure - one of ASEAN ’ s largest 5G-ready telco infrastructure companies , and a subsidiary of DigitalBridge - notes that one of the key differences between the 4G and 5G rollouts is a result of the higher
66 January 2022