Positive cost-benefit forecasts for future 5G deployments
Axon Partners Group Consulting today announced it has completed a detailed EU-wide strategic study for the European Commission (EC) into the costs and timelines for 5G deployments in the EU and EEA. The study has shown networks are planning for 5G to be carrying half of data traffic by 2025; the percentage of population covered by 5G networks will rise to 84 % in 2025; and the majority of EU deployments will be 5G upgrades to existing 2G, 3G or 4G macro networks. An overview of the study is available here and full details of the study can be obtained here.
Axon Partners Group Consulting carried out its preliminary assessment of 5G networks throughout 2021 with the objective of providing the European Commission with a high-level understanding of recent and expected developments in 5G networks and to assess the economic benefits.
The study, conducted across operators and regulators in 21 EU member states, highlights the rapid shift of capacity onto 5G networks, with 50% of data being handled by 5G infrastructure in 2025, and individual subscriber data usage increasing to 34 GB per average user per month.
Because of this rapid transition to 5G and the need to control the costs of the rollouts, the study found that most EU network operators are planning to evolve existing sites from 2G, 3G or 4G. The costs of provisioning the initial stage of 5G networks is therefore incremental.
This rapid transition means the benefits of 5G will rapidly outweigh its initial deployment costs. The incremental costs to cover 5G network elements (mostly access equipment) are small at €0.40 to €3.50 monthly cost per subscriber, depending on EU country.
By 2025, Axon Partners Group Consulting’s findings show it is likely that 5G should reach 84% of the population in EU/EEA states, by 2025 – the availability of 700 MHz spectrum band is expected to significantly boost 5G availability.
Axon Partners Group Consulting Principal Carlos Gómez commented, “Although it hasn’t come as any surprise to see MNOs planning to make full reuse of existing infrastructure, the short timelines means that the EU will very quickly benefit from 5G’s economic benefits at what is mostly an incremental cost of deployment.”
“We hope to see more use of dedicated 5G infrastructure and small cell deployments planned into the networks in future, to make use of the full capabilities and new use cases for 5G which could be difficult to support with existing macro networks.”
About Axon Partners Group Consulting
Axon Partners Group Consulting, the consulting arm of Axon Partners Group, is a global advisory firm that offers first class consulting services to an international client base in the broad ICT sector. Axon’s reputation for excellence and result orientation is well known among investors and clients all around the world, and the organisation has grown to become a team of over 85 experts, with offices in Madrid, Bogotá, Brussels, Medellin, Istanbul and Riyadh.
