CNBC – The $3.5 trillion 5G opportunity is at ‘crossroads’ as telco industry clashes over path forward
A number of companies have earmarked 2020 as a year when 5G could potentially go mainstream, but not everyone in the industry is convinced.
“I think we are probably at the peak of inflated expectations on 5G,” Bengt Nordström, CEO of Northstream, told CNBC by phone.
“We are not doing ourselves any favors if we are leading investors to believe that there is a trillion-dollar market when it’s actually very hard to understand.”
Nordström added that revenues among the broader telecoms industry has been in decline in the past few years. Mike Fries, the CEO of Liberty Global, questioned the willingness of telecom operators to invest in 5G, particularly in Europe.