Will 5G eliminate base stations?
Will 5G be the means to tear down existing cell towers and eliminate the need for them?
The quick answer is no, not very close.
Over the past 30 years, more and more cell phone towers have been built every year, with far more cell towers being built than being retired. Currently, there are more than 500,000 base stations in the U.S., with the rollout of 5G technology likely to add more than 1 million new and/or rooftop base stations over the next seven years.
Accelerate the pace of development
As mentioned above, the rollout of 5G has changed the development of cell towers and as a result, cell towers are being built faster than ever before, not only in the US but also in Europe, Asia and other parts of the world.
Why does this happen globally? That's because cell phone towers are actually infrastructure. Cell tower companies, wireless carriers, and third-party companies looking to buy cell tower leases have been touting "ending the need for cell towers." Why? Because cell phone tower companies and wireless carriers can get landlords to agree to lower rents or other terms in their favour, by stating that they need less, not more (simple supply and demand).
Companies looking to buy landlords' cell tower leases advertise that the cell tower industry is slowly dying in order to get landlords to sell their cell tower lease agreements, or more specifically, the cell tower rental income they now wish to sell. Get your hands dirty and keep going for decades to come.
Understand future needs
Any homeowner who has been approached by anyone who claims cell towers will be obsolete should understand that the technology on cell towers is constantly changing, but cell towers themselves will be around for decades.
Telecommunications technology needs a presence on cell towers, the infrastructure used to facilitate wireless technology, whether it's 5G technology or whatever wireless upgrades are coming.
The example of cars and roads can be used to better understand or to find comparisons to cell towers. Over the years, cars have changed according to technology. The cars on the road today are very different from the cars on the road many years ago, yet they use the same roads to get where you are going every day. No matter how the car changes, the road is essential.
not going anywhere anytime soon
Like the roads people drive every day, cell tower technology is constantly changing, but regardless of equipment changes, wireless carriers still need cell towers to house their wireless devices.
The cell phone tower industry isn't going away anytime soon.
