Study Says Easing Small Cell Regulations Would Help Generate $100B Over Three Years

A new industry-backed report suggests that curbing the current delays in installations of small cellular infrastructure could generate tens of billions in economic development.

The analysis, compiled by Accenture and commissioned by CTIA, said a 12-month reduction in current timelines would translate to an additional $100 billion for the U.S. economy over the next three years.

“The economic benefit we isolated can only be achieved with robust mobile ecosystems that quickly usher in the age of 5G,” Sanjay Dhar, the managing director of Accenture Strategy’s communications group, said in a statement.

The latest study adjusted the model from a 2017 CTIA-Accenture report, which showed that 5G wireless networks could create up to 3 million jobs and bolster the country’s GDP by about $500 billion.

The updated analysis factored in a streamlining of federal, state and local regulations for small cells. The Federal Communications Commission removed federal oversight of small cells earlier this year, but industry advocates argue local regulations can tie up construction for months or years.

FCC officials are likely to take up regulations to curb state and local small cell siting regulations in coming months.

“Accenture’s findings illustrate the importance of an updated federal framework to help accelerate small cell installations and boost economic activity in communities across the country,” said CTIA President and CEO Meredith Attwell Baker.

The group estimated that about 300,000 small cells will need to be deployed to serve 5G networks in the next three to four years.