- Average monthly data-traffic-per-smartphone is likely to increase from the current figure of 7.2 GB to 24 GB by the end of 2025
- 5G will cover up to 65 per cent of the global population by the end of 2025
- The most rapid uptake is expected in North America with 74 percent of mobile subscriptions
Ericsson expects the global number of 5G subscriptions to top 2.6 billion within the next six years. It will mainly be driven by sustained momentum and a rapidly developing 5G ecosystem.
“It is encouraging to see that 5G now has broad support from almost all device makers. In 2020, 5G-compatible devices will enter the volume market, which will scale up 5G adoption. The question is no longer if, but how quickly we can convert use cases into relevant applications for consumers and enterprises,” said Fredrik Jejdling, executive vice president and Head of Networks.
He added, “With 4G remaining a strong connectivity enabler in many parts of the world, modernizing networks is also key to this technological change we’re going through.”
Data-traffic
As per the report, average monthly data-traffic-per-smartphone is likely to increase from the current figure of 7.2 GB to 24 GB by the end of 2025, in part driven by new consumer behavior, such as Virtual Reality (VR) streaming.
The report noted that 5G will cover up to 65 per cent of the global population by the end of 2025 and handle 45 per cent of global mobile data traffic. China’s launch of 5G in late October has also led to an update of the estimated 5G subscriptions for the end of 2019, from 10 million to 13 million, the report said.
The report highlighted that 5G subscription uptake is expected to be significantly faster than that of LTE. The most rapid uptake is expected in North America with 74 percent of mobile subscriptions in the region forecast to be 5G by the end of 2025. North East Asia is expected to follow at 56 percent, with Europe at 55 percent.
