Recently rejoining the Paris Agreement in 2021, the United States set national targets to reduce net greenhouse gas emissions by 50-52% in 2030 and reach net-zero by 2050.

This study illustrates the key role 5G telecommunications networks will play in the journey of the US to meeting its sustainability commitments. Until now, analyses primarily investigated previous-generation technology (4G LTE and below), upstream network efficiencies from 5G, or impacts outside of the United States. In this paper, we present a view of the impact 5G technology can have downstream in the US. We define downstream effects as those pertaining to technologies enabled or augmented by 5G technology (e.g., Internet of Things sensors) or from behavior changes stemming from increased 5G connection speeds. In this analysis, we conclude that 5G is poised to be the greenest generation of network technology yet.