Technology and business analyst Gartner predicts global spending on 5G network infrastructure will almost double in 2020, to more than NZ$12 billion.

Gartner also says wireless infrastructure revenue is expected to fall 4.4% to $57 billion.

According to the analysts, investment made by telecommunications service providers in 5G infrastructure comprised 10.4% of the total wireless infrastructure revenue last year. However, the figure is expected to reach 21.3% this year.

“Investment in wireless infrastructure continues to gain momentum, as a growing number of CSPs are prioritising 5G projects by re-using current assets including radio spectrum bandwidth, base stations, core network and transport network, and transitioning LTE/4G spend to maintenance mode,” said Kosei Takiishi, senior research director at Gartner.

“Early 5G adopters are driving greater competition among CSPs. In addition, governments and regulators are fostering mobile network development and betting that it will be a catalyst and multiplier for widespread economic growth across many industries.”

The analyst also expects Greater China to lead the world in 5G investment, at least in the short term, with nearly half of worldwide investment in 2020 attributed to the region.