Tower Infrastructure Service Providers as Future Enablers of the 5G Mobile Edge

Tower Infrastructure Service Providers as Future Enablers of the 5G Mobile Edge
Tower infrastructure service providers evolved in Asia/Pacific originally for the sole purpose of reducing opex and capex at the communications service providers. In some countries, such as India, Malaysia, and Indonesia, the towercos have done exactly that. With the establishment of China Tower in the PRC, a new business model has emerged in which a state-owned entity manages and operates 96% of the nation's cellular towers and rooftops. "The almost guaranteed stability of cash flows means that the MNOs will have more capital to invest in 5G small cells and 5G RAN and packet core, which will further accelerate the 5G deployment plans of the PRC," says Bill Rojas, adjunct research director, IDC Asia/Pacific. "In many of the larger subscriber markets in Southeast Asia and South Asia, the towerco and fiberco business models can be expected to flourish as 4G LTE coverage is improved and the path to 5G becomes clearer," he added.

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