In a short time, we have gone from a world that was once focused on mobile consumers using analog, two-way phone communications to connecting a software-driven, multilayer fabric of devices that will drive innovations in health care, manufacturing, transportation, retail, entertainment, finance, and agriculture. With 5G, the focus is no longer connecting just mobile phones but billions of devices and applications. Service providers face the challenge of updating fixed and wireless infrastructure, data centers, and base stations to build out true 5G while maintaining legacy architecture at a significantly reduced total cost of ownership (TCO).
According to the Linux Foundation State of the Industry Report in 2021, tremendous infrastructure investments are needed to support the growing device and infrastructure edge demand. The report estimates that between 2019 and 2028, cumulative capital expenditures of up to $800 billion will be spent on new and replacement IT server equipment and edge computing facilities.