Cities that begin to invest in building out their 5G networks will be those that most reap the economic benefits of such technology; such is the crux of a recently published report commissioned by the CTIA.
“Smart streetlights and traffic lights are just the beginning,” said CTIA CEO Meredith Atwell Baker in a recent article published by the Kansas City Business Journal. “The first municipalities to deploy [5G] will be the first to reap the benefits.”
The report focuses on the economic impact 5G technology will have on the Kansas City area. It estimates that more than 5,000 jobs could be created from deploying new telecommunications infrastructure in Kansas City and nearby Overland Park.
Such a boom will come from the deployment of high-band spectrum, which the FCC opened for testing in 2016. Carriers should be ready to deploy the technology and invest in infrastructure on a mass scale in the coming years.
In the next seven years, digital consulting and services company Accenture expects an estimated $387 million and $152 million to be invested in Kansas City and Overland Park, respectively. The company also projects 4,395 added jobs and a $717 million boost in GDP for Kansas City, as well as 1,722 added jobs and a $281 million growth in GDP for Overland Park.
January 23, 2017
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