Telecom Tower Market Size & Share Analysis - Growth Trends & Forecasts (2024 - 2029)

Telecom Towers Market Analysis

The Telecom Towers Market size is estimated at USD 28.48 billion in 2024, and is expected to reach USD 32.75 billion by 2029, growing at a CAGR of 2.84% during the forecast period (2024-2029).

Tower-sharing is one of the significant growth drivers for the telecom industry, as it presents benefits, such as cost reduction and faster data rollout. The telecom tower industry has obtained high prominence as an independent, mainly in India and the United States.

• Implementing 5G technology has been a major driving factor for the telecom tower market. 5G networks require denser infrastructure, including more cell towers and small cells, to deliver enhanced coverage and higher data speeds. According to the GSMA Association, a non-profit organization representing the interests of mobile network operators worldwide, there were already 252 commercial 5G networks in 86 countries worldwide at the end of the previous year, serving more than 1 billion 5G connections. Further, more than 5 billion 5G connections are expected globally by the forecast period, producing over USD 1 trillion in Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth. At the same time, 5G is expected to reach maturity in North America, Europe, China, and the GCC countries by the forecast period. It will continue to grow in many low-and middle-income countries (LMICs).
• With the decline in geographical opportunities, the expansion of diversification opportunities has been significantly propelled by the emergence of advanced communication infrastructure. 5G technology demands appropriate terrain; therefore, many towers are expected to focus on their primary building business soon. However, firms and organizations may be able to explore additional routes by acquiring or leasing vertical real estate, as these towers may continue to see a significant number of 5G antennas installed on them.
• In the previous year, Bharti Airtel, one of India's major telecom operators, planned to develop its 5G network technology stack in partnership with Qualcomm. The telco plans to utilize Qualcomm 5G Radio Access Network Technologies to roll out its commercial 5G network, enabling the establishment of virtual and open 5G networks across India.
• Moreover, the increasing investment in Long Term Evolution (LTE) - Advanced technology. This surge in demand for LTE-A network connectivity results from several factors, including wider availability of affordable smartphones, a growing need for high-speed internet access, expanding investments in smart city initiatives, and a rising demand for IoT devices. Consequently, network operators are proactively investing in the deployment of LTE-A infrastructure, leading to more LTE and LTE-A base stations. These stations are connected to telecom towers, enabling them to offer essential radio access network services to end-users. As a result of the escalating demand for LTE-A, the telecom tower market is experiencing substantial growth.
• According to Cisco, the number of devices connected to the Internet Protocol (IP) network in the forecast period is expected to be 29.3 billion networked devices. The share of Machine-To-Machine (M2M) connections may grow from 33% in recent years to 50% by the following year, with 14.7 billion M2M connections by the current year.
• The environmental impacts of telecom towers have consistently been a major concern. Radiation from mobile towers has been an important issue, recognized as an unseen and subtle pollutant affecting life forms in multiple ways.
• With the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, the telecom industry witnessed a significant increase in demand for internet services due to remote working conditions and a significant chunk of the population staying at home. The increase in people working from home has increased the demand for communication through video conferencing, online video viewing, downloading, and increased network traffic and data usage.

Telecom Towers Market Trends

Operator-owned Tower is Expected to Register a Significant Growth

Telecom Towers Industry Segmentation

A telecommunication tower can be of any structure, including monopoles, tripoles, lattice towers, guyed towers, self-support towers, poles, masts, or similar structures. These towers support one or more telecommunication antennas, allowing radio communications. They can be placed on the ground or a building's rooftop, including equipment storage and storing electronic components. These towers do not require regular staffing and require periodic maintenance. The growth of telecom towers is set to continue during the forecast period, owing to the deployment of 5G infrastructure.

The Telecom Towers Market is segmented by fuel type (renewable and non-renewable), type of tower (lattice tower, guyed tower, monopole tower, and stealth tower), installation (rooftop and ground-based), ownership (operator-owned, joint venture, private-owned, MNO captive), and geography (North America (United States, Canada), Europe (United Kingdom, Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Netherlands, Sweden, Switzerland, rest of Europe), Asia-Pacific (China, India, Japan, South Korea, Indonesia, Vietnam, Malaysia, Philippines, Australia & New Zealand, rest of Asia-Pacific), Latin America (Brazil, Mexico, Argentina, Central America, Columbia, rest of Latin America), and Middle East and Africa (Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Algeria, Nigeria, South Africa, Tanzania, Morocco, rest of Middle East and Africa)). The market sizes and forecasts are provided in terms of value (USD) for all the above segments.