By the end of 2023, one in five mobile lines will be 5G: this is what emerges from the latest report published by Ericsson which provides a snapshot of the current situation in the global market. This is encouraging and by no means taken for granted considering the difficulties that the entire economy is facing and the ongoing geo-political tensions in some regions of the world.
Compared to last year – when the transition from 4G to next-generation networks was already well defined – there was an increase in 5G customers of 63% (+610 million), now equal to 1.6 billion (18% of the total). This has resulted in improved mobile broadband quality, increased access to FWA networks, and augmented and virtual reality-based games and services.
The U.S. is the country with the highest penetration of 5G subscriptions (61%), while India is the one where subscribers are increasing the fastest. Globally, next-generation networks will grow very rapidly over the next six years: by 2029, 5.3 billion customers are expected, 330% more than those estimated for the end of 2023 (they will be 58% of the total). Another important piece of data is coverage:
End of 2023: 45% of the world’s population
End of 2029: 85% of the world’s population
U.S. penetration: 92%
Western Europe penetration: 85%
4G customers grew by 6 million in Q3 2023, reaching a total of 5.2 billion. The peak – explains Ericsson – has been reached, now a slow decline to 3.2 billion is expected by the end of 2029. In the third quarter, 3G subscriptions fell by 61 million, GSM/EDGE subscriptions by 55 million and other technologies by 2 million.
1,000 5G smartphone models launched worldwide in total, 240 of them in 2023
62 out of every 100 smartphones shipped in 2023 will be 5G (57% in 2022)
Foldable smartphone shipments grew 16% year-over-year in the first half of 2023. There are 10 brands that offer them for a total of 17 models launched this year
Satellite mobile networks are set to become more widespread in 2024, especially via text messaging services
5G SA is spreading rapidly
With the spread of 5G networks, the average data consumption is also growing, destined to triple between now and 2029 reaching 56GB per smartphone:
The rate of data growth in mobile networks clearly reflects consumers’ passion for advanced mobile broadband apps. This trend will grow at a pace as more consumers embrace 5G around the world and new use cases emerge, driving further growth in data traffic. Seeing as the majority of traffic is generated at home, where people generally spend most of their time, there is a growing need to extend mid-band 5G coverage both indoors and outdoors to ensure a full 5G experience everywhere – Peter Jonsson, Ericsson.
Data traffic grew by 7% between Q2 and Q3 2023, up 33% compared to Q3 2022. Overall monthly traffic has reached 143EB (Exabytes), 403EB per month is expected by 2029.
