There will be more than 1 billion 5G connections in the world this year and more than 2 billion in 2025, according to a new report from the GSMA. The organization also says that by the end of 2025, 5G will account for more than one-fifth of mobile connections and that more than two in five people – 40% – will live “within reach” of a 5G network.
The “Mobile Economy Report 2022” found that there are 200 live 5G networks in 70 countries. This includes 68 operators offering 5G fixed wireless access (FWA) and 23 offerings stand alone (SA) 5G services. The types of 5G smartphones and their price points are growing.
The growth is faster than it was for 3G and 4G. Eighteen months after launch, 5G accounts for 5.5% of mobile connections. In that timeframe, neither 3G or 4G had more than 2.2% of connections.
The new GSMA 5G Transformation Hub offers case studies on 5G in seven areas: Live entertainment; infrastructure; manufacturing; transportation; construction; smart cities and energy.
“5G accounts for a much larger share of global mobile connections than 3G or 4G did at the same point in their lifecycles. Momentum has been boosted by factors including innovative plans, video streaming services, rising 5G handset sales, and network coverage expansions,” GSMA Chief Technology Officer Alex Sinclair said in a press release about the 5G connections report. “In addition, the launch of 5G services in Latin America and Sub-Saharan Africa over the last year means that the technology is now available in every region of the world, so we are set to see more growth and more transformation for services.”
Last December, Omdia and 5G Americas released research that said that by the end of 2021 there would be 540 million 5G connections. The report said that there were 438 million connections as of the end of the third quarter.
For the estimates from the GSMA and Omdia/5G Americas to be consistent, almost 500 million connections would need to be added worldwide this year.
