Nokia & Omdia: 5G is expected to bring $3.3 trillion to Latin America by 2035
A new study by Nokia and research firm Omdia entitled “Why 5G in Latin America?” notes that 5G technology could bring up to $3.3 trillion of economic and social value in Latin America by 2035 and a $9 trillion improvement in productivity, according to RCR Wireless.
The report states that the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on behaviors and the patterns of 5G adoption in Latin America is unpredicted. However, it is clear that the increased demand for broadband can only help in 5G-business cases, especially in fixed wireless access for homes and businesses.
According to the report, Brazil has been struggling to offer public services such as healthcare and education in rural and remote areas. “The combination of investment in broad capillarity and robust backhaul with high-capacity 5G network access can enable sophisticated services such as telemedicine, supporting remote diagnosis, treatment, and monitoring of patients and increasing coverage of healthcare services”, states Nokia’s study.
The deployment of the 5G network is imperative and not an option. The fifth-generation network would enable smart cities across Brazil. Moreover, the new technology will have positive impacts on other sectors such as manufacturing, retail, and agriculture. The Nokia and Omdia report outlines how policy makers and telecom operators should act.
“Latin American countries must diversify their sources of income and jobs into higher value-added activities,” said Wally Swain, principal consultant for Omdia Latin America, according to Telecom Tech News. Moreover, she added, “Activities including mining and manufacturing must become more productive and 5G will play an important role of this”.
The Head of Latin America for Nokia, Osvaldo Di Campli said, “5G is much more than access. With 5G, the security of telecommunications network will be even more crucial since we will have millions of sensors connected per square kilometer. When we develop equipment in Nokia, we are addressing network security right on the architecture. We deploy a process we call Design for Security, which means safety and trustworthiness are integral to our products rather than patched on top”.
RCR Wireless states that Brazilian Telecommunications regulator Anatel is expected to hold an auction for 5G spectrum in the 2.3 GHz and 3.5 GHz bands by the end of 2020 or in the first few months of 2021. According to Ericsson Mobility Report -June 2020, 5G will account for 74 % of North American mobile subscriptions in 2025.