Among the things we still do not know is how much the Covid-19 pandemic work from home policies will result in permanent changes in work venues and behavior. But if significant WFH behavior persists, there will be direct implications for mobile operator capex.
If there are fewer people downtown, cell tower demand at the busiest sites will drop. That might mean slower upgrade investments than originally foreseen. Conversely, more people working from home might mean a shift of mobile network traffic out to the suburbs, with a possible increase in capex requirements in some areas.
On the other hand, it seems likely that most suburban WFH data demand will be shifted to the fixed network connections, moderating any increase in mobile bandwidth demand overall.
Less commuting to the office means less demand for data on commuting routes. On the other hand, more use of group video calling might boost demand at both suburban and urban locations.
It is not yet clear whether there are immediate repercussions for fixed network access demand. Office locations might find they need less bandwidth than they did in the pre-Covid-19 past. Residential locations will have new and higher demand for more-symmetrical bandwidth services.
Higher amounts of video calling could produce higher demand for 5G, if 5G improves video calling experience outside the home.
No comments:
Post a Comment