ABI Research forecasts worldwide 5G mobile data traffic to reach 1,676 Exabytes in 2026, a CAGR of 63%. This will force mobile network operators to continue upgrading their network capacity.
With a limited number of new macro cell sites available and a limited number of 5G spectrums, dense deployment of 5G small cells will be necessary.
Currently, Massive MIMO (mMIMO) macro cells have fulfilled 5G capacity demands, but these may not be enough for the long term. By 2027, ABI forecasts there could be 13 million outdoor 5G small cell deployments.