Building the 5G Network

December 9, 2015

By Ernest Worthman —

December 10, 2015 — Getting a handle on what it will cost to build a 5G infrastructure is no easy task. There are lots of guestimates and they keep coming. For example, iGR has just released its forecast that says the cost of building the 5G infrastructure will come in at $56 Billion from now until 2025.

One of the biggest questions surrounding the somewhat-nebulous 5G term is how much it will cost. Through this study, iGR attempts to clarify 5G’s actual definition, and quantify what it will take, in dollars, to build and deliver 5G to the U.S. mobile consumer. iGR took a very detailed approach to the cost model to obtain as accurate a picture as possible of the investment required.

The study provides a forecast for the cost of building and deploying 5G networks in the United States beginning in 2017 and continuing through 2025. This forecast is only for build costs; it does not include operating costs. The study also forecasts the build costs split by the three requirements of 5G deployment: RAN upgrades, cell site densification, and MEC (mobile edge computing). The study provides a detailed discussion of 5G’s requirements, and deployment time frame, its likely use cases, as well as how U.S. mobile operators are transitioning and preparing their networks.