by Olivier Lafontaine
Strategy and Product Management Director
Technicolor Connected Home
As the 5G era moves through its early stages of deployment, the network service provider (NSP) community is exploring how the different manifestations of this technology (millimeter wave, mid-band, and low-band 5G) can best be harnessed to serve consumers while optimizing the revenues. In so doing, carriers will have to evaluate the pros and cons of dedicating spectrum to burgeoning demand for mobile services while looking for ways to enhance broadband access to connected homes.
Establishing the right balance is likely going to be different for every single NSP. The directions operators take with 5G will depend on the regions in which they operate, the nature of their subscriber base, the disposition of local infrastructures, and the competitive posture of other players offering mobile and terrestrial broadband services in their markets.
5G Achieving Critical Mass of Industry and Consumer Acceptance
Once the winners of the 5G auction are announced, NSPs can expect spectrum assets to nearly double in size. These new frequency resources will enable NSPs to enhance existing services and deliver new value propositions. Compared to what has been achieved so far with the technologies previously available -- such as 4G LTE -- 5G comes with substantial capacity improvements, elevating the experience of consumers who have 5G-capable devices.
Some mobile device manufacturers -- especially those in the Android market -- immediately jumped in over the course of 2019 in anticipation of demand for 5G services. Others, notably Apple, waited until the infrastructure build-out took on a clearer shape. By the end of 2020, however, it became clear that 5G successfully established itself as the new standard of service, a fact illustrated by the roll out of the iPhone 12, a 5G device.