Tuesday 7 August 2018

The US Falling Behind on 5G Infrastructure: Lack of Funding and Slow Unified Policy Response?


Deloitte Consulting has released an informative report titled, “5G: The Chance to Lead for aDecade.” [Report]  The Report describes how the United States is falling behind in investing in 5G “both [in] relative and absolute terms” to other countries, and specifically China.  For example, the Report states:

Since 2015, China outspent the United States by approximately $24 billion in wireless communications infrastructure and built 350,000 new sites, while the United States built fewer than 30,000. Looking forward, China’s five-year economic plan specifies $400 billion in 5G-related investment. Consequently, China and other countries may be creating a 5G tsunami, making it near impossible to catch up.

The Report also describes the importance of the number of towers and small cells needed for the 5G network to operate well.  While advocating for a “light touch policy framework,” the Report notes that,

[T]his light-touch regulatory framework does not absolve policy makers of responsibility to inspire US leadership in 5G. Policy makers at the state, local, and federal levels can help reduce the friction associated with deploying next generations of communication infrastructure. Specifically, reducing the cost and deployment cycle times for small cells will help remove a major obstacle to network densification and allow carriers to add desperately needed low-cost capacity to our nation’s wireless networks.


Many cities continue to use the same approval standards and processes for small cell equipment deployed at the top of an existing city lamp post as they would for deployment of a new 70-foot macro tower in the public right of way; an unsustainable solution if the United States aims to keep pace with other countries’ 5G deployment. (emphasis added).

Notably, the Report also discusses the benefits of a “light touch policy framework:”

First, the United States should consider establishing a light-touch policy framework to address 5G’s inherent externalities that limit the value created by infrastructure investment from accruing to the carriers. Other countries may consider subsidizing, nationalizing, or otherwise regulating aspects of a nation’s communications infrastructure to speed 5G deployment. However, such interventions in the United States could risk disrupting a communications and technology ecosystem that has proven symbiotic and resilient over the past decade. Policy intervention in the same ecosystem of carriers, suppliers, Internet innovators, and consumers that enabled LTE leadership could inflict unintended consequences on competition and innovation. 

Instead, carriers and their ecosystem partners can address the potential pitfalls of externalities by negotiating efficient solutions. Negotiated contracts between carriers and Internet content and applications providers more effectively attribute profits to those making infrastructure investments on behalf of the users.

We have already seen examples of such negotiated solutions with LTE. Unlimited usage of video streaming applications come with service-level conditions that help curtail network congestion. In some cases, content providers agreed to reduce video resolution and steaming speeds in return for carriers granting unlimited access to that content for their subscribers. These conditions, negotiated between commercial entities, can offer a win-win-win for carriers, content providers, and consumers. Consumers receive access to as much content as they want without overage fees. Content providers get unlimited access to their viewer base. In turn, carriers can better plan for and/or avoid traffic increases that necessitate costly upgrades.

The Trump Administration released a plan to develop and rehabilitate infrastructure throughout the United States, and the Washington Post recently published an interesting article describing a recent study concerning long term prosperity in Europe and the path of Roman roads.  What about 5G (at least for a decade and not falling behind what’s next)? 

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