The National Spectrum Consortium teamed up with the Progressive Policy Institute (PPI) to research the impact of the 5G revolution to create millions of jobs over the next 15 years. The research paper reviewed three time periods of wireless-driven job growth in the U.S., and reviews job creation, industries affected, and job location.

In Wave 1, which took place from 1990-2007, the wireless industry created roughly 200,000 jobs as mobile carriers built out the original wireless networks, and cell phones became a part of everyday life.

Wave 2 took place from 2007-2019 and saw the expansion of apps and smartphones. During this wave, more than 2.2 million jobs were created in digital industries like entertainment, finance, communications and social networks.

Wave 3, “The 5G Revolution,” began in 2019 as mobile carriers expanded their 5G networks. 5G, with its faster and more versatile wireless capabilities has shown its value during the COVID-19 pandemic, as virtual collaboration, distance learning, and tele-health services became commonplace. This wave is expected to create 4.6 million jobs through 2034. Industries impacted include agriculture, energy, construction, manufacturing, transportation, education, healthcare and government including defense.

Read the full report on the NSC website.

About the National Spectrum Consortium

The National Spectrum Consortium is a research and development organization that incubates new technologies to revolutionize the way in which spectrum is utilized, and 5G is playing a big part in that. Through collaboration between industry, academia, and Government agencies, we solve the toughest problems the nation faces to enable implementation of 5G, 5G based technologies, and spectrum access and sharing.