New cell towers

Existing handsets cannot be upgraded to 5G with a simple software download, the hardware required for a 5G phone is different from that used by current 4G phones. Users will be required to purchase a new 5G-enabled device outright or to take out a new contract that includes a 5G cellphone handset .

5G, which stands for “fifth generation,” promises to raise Internet speeds by as much as a hundredfold over fourth-generation technology. 5G needs many more cellular antennas, called “small cells,” than 4G . That’s because it uses higher-frequency radio waves, which carry much more data but have shorter ranges.

We predict that by 2035 approximately 80% to 90% of urban rooftop cell sites will become obsolete .