5G subscriptions are now expected to reach 1.9 billion in 2024, as operators ramp up deployments and users switch to 5G devices, according to the June 2019 edition of the Ericsson Mobility Report. This is up from 1.5 billion forecasted in the November 2018 edition – an increase of almost 27 percent.
Ericsson cited rapid early momentum for 5G as the reason it has accelerated its forecast.
Additional highlights:
- 5G coverage is forecast to reach 45 percent of the world’s population by end of 2024
- In 2024, 5G networks are projected to carry 35 percent of the global mobile traffic
- As 5G devices increasingly become available and more 5G networks go live, more than 10 million 5G subscriptions are projected worldwide by the end of 2019.
- The uptake of 5G subscriptions is expected to be fastest in North America, with 63 percent of anticipated mobile subscriptions in the region being for 5G in 2024.
- North East Asia follows in second place (47 percent), and Europe in third (40 percent).
- Total mobile data traffic continued to soar globally in Q1 2019, up 82 percent year-on-year. It is predicted to reach 131 exabytes (EB) per month by the end of 2024, at which time 35 percent is projected to be over 5G networks.
- There are 1 billion cellular IoT connections globally, a figure that is expected to rise to 4.1 billion by the end of 2024, of which 45 percent are represented by Massive IoT. Industries using Massive IoT include utilities with smart metering, healthcare in the form of medical wearables, and transport with tracking sensors.
Fredrik Jejdling, Executive Vice President and Head of Networks, Ericsson, says: “5G is definitely taking off and at a rapid pace. This reflects the service providers’ and consumers’ enthusiasm for the technology. 5G will have positive impact on people’s lives and businesses, realizing gains beyond the IoT and the Fourth Industrial Revolution. However, the full benefits of 5G can only be reaped with the establishment of a solid ecosystem in which technology, regulatory, security, and industry partners all have a part to play.”
The 34-page report is here:
