Looking ahead to 2025, wireless infrastructure industry thought leaders are keeping their eye on trends including further development of 5G networks, rural connectivity, an increased focus on in-building and private wireless deployments, and the need for more spectrum to support expanding demand for data connectivity. Read on to see what they are predicting for the next 12 months.

Julie Song
President, Advanced RF Technologies (ADRF)
What was the most significant development that happened during 2024 in the wireless infrastructure industry and why?
Although the first state passed Alyssa’s Law in 2019 – mandating the installation of silent panic alarms in elementary and secondary schools – this is the first year where we’ve clearly seen it become a catalyst for significant growth in the wireless infrastructure industry. Currently, the law has been passed in New York, New Jersey, Florida, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, and Oklahoma with 11 more states on deck. Not only is the law helping to make schools safer on its own, but it is also acting as a gateway for emergency responder communication enhancement systems (ERCES) and other safety measures to help improve first responder connectivity in and around the premises during emergencies. For example, Utah’s state variation of the bill (H.B. 84, School Safety Amendments, 5th Substitute) requires new and existing public schools to have specific communication equipment, establish school resource officer (SRO) training, and many safety reporting measures. This is also showcased in Martin County School District (MSCD) in Florida where they installed ERCES not only to provide first responder communications, but also to backup to other connected school safety measures currently running on WiFi, including the silent panic buttons in classrooms, autonomous emergency doors, and the surveillance camera network. In 2025, we will continue to see the adoption of ERCES in schools grow as other states follow suit in mandating Alyssa’s Law.
What trend do you think will impact the wireless infrastructure industry the most in 2025 and why?
Every year, Mobile World Congress (MWC) Las Vegas acts as a temperature check for the wireless industry and showcases where companies will focus efforts in 2025. It was abundantly clear at this year’s show that wireless stakeholders are pushing to increase enterprise wireless adoption, particularly 5G since it has been slower than expected. This means we can anticipate solutions that are precisely marketed to the most pressing enterprise use cases and are cheaper and easier to implement than current solutions. The trend won’t just include medium and large enterprises, but smaller-sized businesses. Just this last year, we saw a significant uptick in the commercial business for our DAS and repeater solutions that may indicate businesses are ready to invest if the right technology at the right cost is presented to them.
Patrick Halley
President and CEO, Wireless Infrastructure Association
It’s 2025 – more than 40 years since the first commercial cellular network was launched and nearly a quarter of a century since the introduction of 3G. Today, 5G networks keep the world connected and productive. Cheers to that!
In 2024, Artificial Intelligence was all the world could talk about. While it is clear there will be a continued focus on AI and its impacts on the network, there are also underlying trends in 5G brewing in the background that are necessary to make AI work and to enable the near-term advances that AI will bring. In the year ahead, I believe we will begin to see a turning point where we can no longer survive on 4G capabilities to meet the demands of both enterprise and consumers, but we will see full 5G capabilities come to the front. To support the full range of AI capabilities and potential, networks will move from being about coverage and speed (the success in 2023 and 2024 of fixed wireless is a good example) to leveraging 5G differentiators such as network slicing, low latency connectivity and high bandwidth services. AI needs high-performance connectivity and 2025 will be the year that 5G network improvements will be realized in support of the AI revolution.
Laurent “LT” Therivel
President and CEO, UScellular
Excerpted from Three Wireless Industry Predictions for 2025
The FCC hasn’t had authority to hold spectrum auctions since early 2023, and this has held the U.S. wireless industry back from investing in infrastructure, enhancing the customer experience and ensuring that the U.S. remains technologically competitive.
We know customers will continue to use more and more data – Americans used more than 100 trillion MB of data in 2023,2 nearly double the amount used just two years ago. And if towers and cell sites are the physical backbone necessary to support this growth, spectrum is the virtual backbone. We need spectrum to fuel the next big technology innovations, and without it, we give our global competitors – particularly China – an advantage. Wireless technology is essential to economic growth and national security, and the longer this lapse in spectrum authority continues, the greater the risk is to U.S. leadership in a variety of industries. I predict that Congress will act to reauthorize the FCC’s auction authority and direct the agency to free up spectrum – particularly mid-band spectrum – to support the evolving needs of our customers and communities.
Daniel Herb
Chief Product Officer, dense air
What was the most significant development that happened during 2024 in the wireless infrastructure industry and why?
The wireless infrastructure industry saw significant advancements in 2024, driven by the rapid adoption of neutral host solutions to address connectivity challenges in dense urban environments, large venues, and underserved indoor spaces. This shift was propelled by:
Carrier-Driven Demand for Multi-Carrier Solutions: Mobile network operators (MNOs) increasingly favored shared infrastructure to reduce costs and improve coverage in challenging or low-revenue areas.
Technological Advancements in Small Cells: Innovations in small cell technology allowed faster, more scalable deployments that seamlessly integrated with 4G and 5G networks.
Collaborative Deployments: Strategic partnerships between solution providers, enterprises, and MNOs showcased successful projects—such as underground parking garages and hotels—achieving high-performance connectivity at lower costs than traditional DAS systems.
Neutral host solutions emerged as a linchpin for addressing poor in-building connectivity and simplifying complex wireless solutions, including DAS, small cells, Wi-Fi, and repeaters. These solutions established a foundation of cost-effectiveness, scalability, and rapid deployment, positioning the industry to tackle broader challenges ahead.
What trend do you think will impact the wireless infrastructure industry the most in 2025 and why?
Looking forward to 2025, the wireless infrastructure industry will build on the momentum of neutral host solutions by integrating AI-driven optimization and refining collaborative models.
Key trends include:
AI-Enhanced Network Operations: Predictive analytics will dynamically allocate resources based on real-time data, optimizing capacity, coverage, and energy use. Automated tools will streamline site selection, network planning, and installation, reducing time-to-market and costs.
Enterprise-Focused Solutions: As enterprises grapple with worsening indoor coverage due to 5G’s limited propagation, affordable and flexible neutral host networks will gain further traction. Simplifying complex solution sets and educating enterprises will drive adoption.
Sustainability and Efficiency: AI-driven tools will help operators meet environmental goals by optimizing energy consumption and reducing operational inefficiencies.
Scaling Neutral Host Models: Collaborative frameworks between MNOs, governments, and solution providers will address regulatory and budgetary barriers, enabling broader adoption and seamless integration of shared infrastructure.
The convergence of neutral host maturity and AI-driven advancements represents a pivotal shift, enabling scalable, cost-effective, and sustainable wireless connectivity. Together, these trends will transform enterprise connectivity and propel the industry into a new era of innovation and collaboration.
John Paleski
President, Subcarrier Communications
What was the most significant development that happened during 2024 in the wireless infrastructure industry and why?
2024 took another key step forward in the advancement of wireless networks as demand for AI skyrocketed. AI proved to be a huge network intensive application and was an important addition to the growth of overall digital infrastructure. 5G networks added to this success as wireless industry traffic continues to grow at a robust 30% year over year. At Subcarrier Communications, we are constantly looking ahead, forecasting, planning, preparing, upgrading, and innovating to overdeliver. As a tower company, we are extremely excited for 2025 and beyond because as technology improves and AI demands continue to skyrocket, we will press on to stay ahead of the curve to provide the very best.
What trend do you think will impact the wireless infrastructure industry the most in 2025 and why?
The trend that will impact the wireless infrastructure industry in 2025 will be the continuing adoption and build-out of the 5G network (finally!). As data usage continues to increase, rural areas will require more towers, more fiber and more spectrum. This improved connectivity will take us another step forward to bridging the digital divide.
We will see the convergence of Generative AI, IOT, Supercomputing, and AR/VR become fully integrated within the 5G ecosystem. It will be a year of telecom that can learn, Agentic AI and autonomous systems that can think and act without further human interaction or instruction. Tools like Microsoft Agents, IBM Granite 3.0 and Claude 3.5 Sonnet, will all raise the bar for network intelligence. These developments will impact every technology driven industry; and in turn, cause the carriers to innovate more aggressively to remain competitive.
Telecom technology will also be driving other transformative applications across many new wireless ventures such as Autonomous Vehicles, Virtual Reality and Virtual Healthcare. There will also be some early investing in the development of 3D holographic capabilities. These next-gen connectivity solutions will likely become strong drivers of carrier growth during the second half of 2025.
5G will finally develop its long awaited use case and Subcarrier is ready. But here’s the rub, the elephant in the room not many are discussing, as a tower community, do we need to divine what the future loading will be, because 6G is coming by 2030, potentially as early as 2028. To purchase correct tower steel, we have to do our best to anticipate what heavier loads will look like. Will it be a flat 25%? Could it be 30%? With more tower sites planned, we know 6G is going to require much more loading capacity and going back to make mods on towers built for 5G will be expensive.
Darrell Ingram
CEO, Tilson
What was the most significant development that happened during 2024 in the wireless infrastructure industry and why?
A significant development in the wireless infrastructure industry during 2024 was the increased funding directed toward rural areas. This funding boost is vital for expanding connectivity in underserved regions, helping to bridge the digital divide. With more resources allocated to rural broadband and wireless infrastructure, we are seeing greater opportunities for network growth and improvement, ultimately bringing reliable, high-speed internet to communities that have historically lacked access. This shift is expected to drive long-term positive impact across the industry as rural connectivity continues to grow and improve.
What trend do you think will impact the wireless infrastructure industry the most in 2025 and why?
In 2025, the most impactful trend will be the increase in CAPEX by major wireless carriers. This growth signals a strong commitment to expanding and enhancing network capabilities, particularly in fiber networks, 5G, and spectrum. With expected spectrum auctions on the horizon, the industry is primed for further expansion. These investments will create significant opportunities for service providers, driving network improvements to meet the increasing demand for connectivity. Addressing the existing skilled labor shortage will be key to capitalizing on this momentum and ensuring successful deployments as the industry grows.
Christopher James
VP, Technical Services, Fullerton
What trend do you think will impact the wireless infrastructure industry the most in 2025 and why?
The Fullerton DAS team has seen a trend start in late 2023, pick up steam in 2024 and looks to be a major component of 2025 going forward. This trend is rip and replace of end-of-life DAS systems.
Many DAS systems were deployed in the 2012-2018 window with then cutting-edge equipment such as Commscope ION B, Corning Mobile Access and SOLiD DAS systems. Over the years, these systems evolved into a new wave of equipment that supports newer technologies such as 5G, CBRS and millimeter wave.
Today’s DAS OEM offerings such as Commscope ERA, SOLiD 5G Alliance and JMA offer equipment that cover the past, current and future needs of indoor/venue cellular coverage. These original DAS systems cannot support the new technology, don’t provide the same coverage and are at the point where they are at the end of their service life and replacement parts are hard to come by. Carriers, OEMs and 3POs are in a precarious position where they have to make the decision whether to upgrade their current end-of-life systems, add in a new layer to the DAS to cover the new technologies, or in some cases abandon the DAS network if it has become non-operational or can no longer be serviced.
We’re seeing a large shift into CAPEX spending to address these needs in some of the highest profile buildings and venues across the US. We expect this trend to continue as the end users continue to demand more and more capacity in the networks and at the current pace, the carriers have to keep up with this demand to best monetize their DAS networks and satisfy the end-users.
Tuoyo Ebigbeyi
Vice President, Network Operations – US, American Tower
What trend do you think will impact the wireless infrastructure industry the most in 2025 and why?
In 2025, the convergence of wireless AI-driven use cases and large-scale infrastructure investments will define the wireless industry’s trajectory. AI will enable groundbreaking applications, from real-time edge computing in autonomous vehicles to predictive IoT solutions for industries like agriculture and healthcare. Simultaneously, significant federal and state investments in rural wireless infrastructure will expand connectivity to underserved areas, creating fertile ground for these AI applications to flourish. This synergy of technology and accessibility will drive not only commercial growth but also societal impact, ensuring wireless innovation benefits a broader spectrum of communities.
Andrew Herring
EVP – Strategic Development, Fullerton
What trend do you think will impact the wireless infrastructure industry the most in 2025 and why?
From my perspective, the telecom industry in 2025 is poised for innovation from many areas. Key trends, including AI-driven networks, cloud-native solutions, satellite vs fiber driven broadband and continued 5G technology advancements, are reforming how we connect and communicate. All of these technologies drive new possibilities for enterprise and the consumers. We should see carriers invest heavier into their wireless networks in 2025 vs 2024, driven by new site development, rip and replace DAS systems or end of life and other.
Fiber is still hot with spend from the private and public markets. BEAD checks have yet to be cut but we should see some of that money in front end services in 2025 and continue beyond. Broadband providers will be extremely busy deploying networks for the next 4-5 years.
Stephen Leotis
President, MosoLabs
What trend do you think will impact the wireless infrastructure industry the most in 2025 and why?
Private 5G networks hype reached a new height in 2024. But, with all the hype, we have seen myriad industry verticals start to understand the value and benefits cellular technology can bring for both indoor and outdoor connectivity needs. CBRS has been the key to enabling the adoption of cellular technology beyond the MNO-owned spectrum. It has democratized 150MHz of valuable mid-band spectrum for organizations to adopt cellular technology for enterprise use beyond licensed spectrum. This year, the FCC approved “CBRS2.0” changes which took significant steps in making this spectrum more robust, reliable, and accessible across the country with smaller DPA protection zones, extended heartbeats, and improved GAA coexistence. These updates have proven critical for growing CBRS trust for critical connectivity and communications.
What trend do you think will impact the wireless infrastructure industry the most in 2025 and why?
Private 5G will continue to push beyond the hype and toward the technology “crossing the chasm” in 2025 as these networks are recognized as enablers to solve existing business challenges and create new use cases across industries. Through continued education and adoption, we will see organizations across verticals recognize how transformative private 5G networks can be for both private connectivity and public network extension/densification. The race to make these networks simpler to deploy, more easily customizable, and pre-integrated with IT systems is already full-on and will continue to accelerate. Outside the large vendors, there is a strong, emerging ecosystem of smaller, focused companies partnering together to build vertical specific solutions that break down barriers for adoption of this new technology. These new options are delivering reduced upfront costs, lower complexity of deployments, and the ability scale to meet the needs for the customer which are key for wider adoption. Lastly, as the market continues to develop in 2025, we will likely see continued industry consolidation.