No longer confined to the telecommunications sector, wireless advancements are igniting a revolution across industries, fueling efficiencies, and igniting unprecedented economic development and job expansion, according to WIA. The association released its By the Numbers Report which quantifies the size of the nation’s wireless infrastructure sector. It includes cellular towers, indoor and outdoor small cells, macrocell sectors, annual infrastructure spending and American jobs that sustain this resource.
Key statistics underscore the robustness of the U.S. wireless infrastructure industry as of 2023:
- 153,400 purpose-built cellular towers in operation
- 244,800 macrocell sites, excluding small cells
- 805,400 macrocell sectors, excluding small cells
- 202,100 outdoor small cells in operation
- 775,800 indoor small cell nodes in use, encompassing DAS, small cells, private CBRS networks, and licensed frequency bands
- Employment of 387,300 individuals or full-time equivalents dedicated to building, maintaining, and operating cellular networks nationwide, supporting 4G/LTE, 5G, indoor and outdoor networks, and private networks.
“The U.S. wireless infrastructure industry is a testament to enabling connectivity for innovation, driving economic growth while delivering opportunity for all,” says WIA.
