The COVID-19 pandemic will delay the rollout of 5G networks in Europe by 12 to 18 months, according to a recent by PwC.

According to the report, European telcos’ investment spending over the next two years will fall by €6bn-€9bn ($7.1bn-$10.6bn).

“Telcos need to act urgently to address the squeeze on their 5G investment plans. Specifically, they must review their 5G business cases and deployment timetables, given the significant growth and changing pattern of demand for network capacity that has emerged due to the COVID-19 lockdown,” PwC said.

“We expect a reprioritization of capex plans across all areas of the business to secure sufficient funding, to continue investing in 5G and to partially mitigate the risks of delaying deployment, while at the same time coping with increasing demands on their fixed infrastructure. This will involve tough choices: a complete review of capex plans, a drive to achieve further capex efficiencies and delays to selected transformation projects in other areas.”

Read more at: https://www.rcrwireless.com/20200731/wireless/covid-19-pandemic-delay-5g-rollout-europe-12-18-months-pwc

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