Wireless 5G connections are doubling every year, reaching 813 million connections by the end of the second quarter of 2022, according to a report from Omdia and 5G Americas. Global 5G connections are predicted to reach 1.1 billion by the end of 2022.
The doubling of 5G global connections is in line with mobile data use, which is also doubling roughly every year. According to Omida data, 430 million global 5G connections were added between the second quarter of last year and the second quarter of 2022, reaching a total of 813 million, a 112% increase from the year-earlier period. The 813 million was also a 16% increase over the first quarter of this year.
The strong growth is expected to continue, with global 5G connections approaching 2 billion by the end of 2023 and reaching 5.9 billion by the end of 2027.
North America had a total of 99 million 5G and 502 million LTE connections by the end of the second quarter, an increase of 17 million 5G connections (20.7%) compared to the first quarter of the year. According to CTIA, 315 million Americans are now covered by 5G, with one-third of American adults having an active 5G device.
The Omida/5G Americas report is consistent with an earlier Ericsson forecast, which predicted that 90% of the wireless subscriptions in North America will be 5G in 2027. The Ericsson Mobility Report, which contains upbeat news for 5G providers and their ecosystem, says that there will be more than 1 billion 5G subscribers globally by the end of this year.
“The progress of 5G continues throughout the Americas with more spectrum, coverage, and usage,” said Chris Pearson, president of 5G Americas, in a prepared statement about the 5G connections report. “We are entering an era of innovation with an expanding 5G ecosystem that is learning how to take advantage of the technical capabilities of this great technology.”
