5G networks will bring businesses and consumers fantastic new capabilities. The coming years will see highly automated and highspeed factories, more cars that drive themselves, AR (augmented reality) and VR (virtual reality) providing highly immersive learning experiences and games, and much more. As the number of 5G users globally is expected to grow from 200 million in 2020 to two billion in 20251 , 5G networks will have to support much higher capacities and much lower latencies than previous wireless standards.
Millimeter-wave (mmWave) cell sites can carry tremendous amounts of data, with channel sizes up to 400 MHz, allowing for the transmission of thousands of times as much data per channel compared to earlier wireless generations. This makes it extremely attractive for 5G networks, which promise throughput rates far beyond anything seen in wireless communications to date. The global market for mmWave technology is forecast to grow from $1.8 billion in 2021 to $4.7 billion in 2026, a CAGR of 20%2 . A 2021 report by GMSA, “The economics of mmWave 5G”, which details the financial implications for mmWave installations, concludes that mmWave sites are a sound investment, not only where high capacity and throughput are needed, but also where traffic will be high for short periods.
