5G is already in the mainstream news in 2021, followed by a turbulent year due to geopolitics and COVID-19, but also the realization that telco networks are much more important than consumers, governments, and enterprises used to think they were. Fixed and mobile networks endured throughout the stay-at-home restriction periods and allowed the vast majority of white-collar workers to work from home without disruptions. Telco operators experienced increased traffic, physical restrictions due to the pandemic, and an uncertain macroeconomic environment, but were one of the pillars of the global economy.