Executive Summary
For decades, the evolution of communications technology has laid the foundation for broad economic
growth across the United States benefitting towns and cities large and small. The next generation of
wireless network infrastructure will be built using small-cell networks employing 5G wireless technology.
The connectivity and computing capacity unleashed by these high-speed wireless networks will bring the
power of Smart City solutions to municipalities across the country. This can transform local economies.
Research has suggested that Smart City solutions applied to the management of vehicle traffic & electrical
grids could produce $160 billion in benefits and savings thru reductions in energy usage, traffic congestion
and fuel costs. These 5G attributes will enable cities to reduce commute times, improve public safety and
generate significant smart grid efficiencies. Beyond the benefits of pervasive Smart City technology, the
potential gains from the deployment process for such technology are also significant since telecom operators
are expected to invest approximately $275 billion in infrastructure, which could create up to 3 million jobs
and boost GDP by $500 billion.
Full realization of the economic growth and cost savings from leveraging Smart City solutions built on 5G
infrastructure will, however, depend on how robustly 5G networks are deployed locally, and will require
different approaches from those used in the past. The network deployment build of 5G will involve 10 to
100 times more antenna locations than 4G or 3G. These cells are small – the size of a shoe box – and are
critical not only for delivering the speed and capacity promised by this next generation of wireless, but
also for supporting the increased number of devices that will be connected to the network in the future.
