“Global spending on 5G networks will jump about 30% to more than $20 billion next year, according to the consultancy Dell’Oro Group. IHS Markit estimates that 5G will make $13.2 trillion in global economic value possible by 2035. Given the study was commissioned by Qualcomm Inc., a chipmaker supplying much of the underlying technology, it’s worth taking that number with a pinch of salt.”

A new wave of high-speed coherent optical components are expected gain widespread adoption in 2021, according to Dell’Oro analyst Jimmy Yu. While vendors like Nokia, Ciena, and Infinera have been teasing faster and faster optics for years, Yu noted in a blog post that the optical transport market is a research and development heavy industry, with multi-year product cycles. “Grand ideas and proof of concepts announced years ago steadily build toward commercialization and main stream adoption over the course of a few years,” he wrote.

Dell’Oro Group’s Jeff Heynen, vice president, broadband access and home networking, echoed Rutledge’s sentiments on Charter’s broadband expansion into rural areas. “Charter is really going to have an opportunity to expand its subscriber base well beyond what it could without the auction, despite the fact that it won fewer markets than most people were expecting,” Heynen said.