Report estimates a net benefit for the country from 5G of EUR 25.6 billion, after EUR 6 billion in costs, equaling a cost-benefit ratio of 7.5. The study was developed to help European policymakers looking to leverage 5G to support economic development. It found that the deployment of 5G networks across Europe can deliver overall benefits of EUR 210 billion at a public cost of EUR 46 billion. This equates to a cost–benefit ratio of 4.5. The research found the highest cost-benefit ratio could be achieved in Switzerland, at 14.7. The estimated benefits there are EUR 10 billion on a public investment of just EUR 700 million.
A model that gives an estimate of the costs and the economic benefits of 5G for clusters including Smart Production and Logistics, Smart Rural, Smart Urban and Smart Public Services. It assumed that 5G networks can support a wide range of possible innovations in different markets and industrial sectors, which collectively can be considered an open innovation platform. Smart Production and Smart Rural clusters have the largest net benefit of EUR 70 billion and EUR 55 billion respectively, although their cost benefit ratios are lower than those of the Smart Urban and Smart Public Services clusters. Analysis Mason’s model suggests that EUR 3-4 billion in benefits will stem from smart automotive by 2025, rising to EUR 20 billion by 2030. It estimates that over EUR 50 billion of the benefit can be delivered by less than EUR 20 billion in public funding.