5G mmWave Use Cases Touted as Moneymakers

By J. Sharpe Smith, Inside Towers Technology Editor

There are a number of different ways that carriers can get a quick return on investment from the deployment of millimeter wave technology, according to Philippe Poggianti, Vice President, Business Development, Qualcomm France, who led a master class, titled “5G mmWave Business Insights,” during last week’s Qualcomm 5G Summit, held in San Diego.  If the mmWave nodes are strategically located, the return of investment will be faster and require less initial rollout, according to Poggianti. A study by Bell Labs shows that deployments in just 2,000 high density locations covering 24 percent of subscribers on a daily basis will provide a 55 percent ROI in four to five years. Some of the first deployments of mmWave infrastructure are occurring in stadiums by Verizon in the U.S. commercially, as well as in Germany on a pre-commercial basis. They will be followed by train stations, airports, indoor shopping malls, and outdoor hotspots where people congregate. Continue Reading