Ericsson Mobile Trends Report: 5G Subscribers Are Expected To Exceed 1 Billion In 2022
By Oystein Bergmann, Senior Correspondent Scandinavia
The latest edition of the Ericsson Mobile Trends Report predicts that the number of global 5G subscribers will exceed the 1 billion mark by the end of 2022, and by 2027, the number of global mobile subscribers is expected to reach 4.4 billion, equivalent to nearly half of mobile users using 5G. At present, the global 5G penetration rate is the highest in north America and Northeast Asia, about 20 per cent. By 2027, 5G subscribers in North America will account for 90 per cent of its mobile subscribers, the world’s largest; Western Europe is second, with 5G penetration reaching 82 per cent; The Gulf Cooperation Council will reach 80 per cent; The proportion of 5G users in Northeast Asia is expected to reach 74 per cent.
In Northeast Asia, where 5G is currently the only type of mobile service that is growing, with about 275 million new subscribers in Northeast Asia adding in 2021 as mobile subscribers accelerate from 4G to 5G, and the number of mobile subscribers in the region is expected to reach 1 billion by the end of 2023. At present, the focus of Northeast Asian telecom providers is to improve 5G network coverage by increasing base station sites or deploying 5G in low frequency bands. The rapid growth of 5G mobile subscribers, coupled with the continuous introduction of new 5G equipment in the market, has had a positive impact on the financial performance of telecom operators, including major telecom providers in advanced 5G markets such as South Korea and Taiwan, pointing out that 5G mobile users have a positive impact on both mobile service revenue and average user revenue (ARPU).
The latest Ericsson Action Trends Report also notes that global mobile Internet data traffic has doubled in the past two years, mainly due to increased use of smartphones and mobile broadband, as well as driven by the digitization of society and industry. Despite the global pandemic and geopolitical uncertainties, the data shows strong demand for connectivity and digital services, with hundreds of millions of people still becoming new mobile broadband subscribers each year. The report also shows that 5G subscribers are growing faster than 4G, reaching the billion-user milestone two years ahead of schedule. At present, 5G networks already cover a quarter of the world’s population, and in the first quarter of 2022 alone, 5G users have increased by nearly 70 million, and in 2027, 5G networks will cover about three-quarters of the world’s population.
General Manager of Ericsson Taiwan, Zhou Daqi said: “Northeast Asia is the first stage of global 5G development, not only is 5G penetration rate among the best, but we also find that the average data usage of 5G mobile users in the region is currently 2-3 times that of 4G users. Taiwan’s higher than global average data usage is a testament to the strong demand for mobile broadband. To capture the business opportunities beyond enhanced mobile broadband, we are also finding that global telecoms are accelerating the pace of innovation, with 5G standalone networking deployments increasing in many regions. Solid digital infrastructure is the foundation of enterprise digital transformation, and through 5G independent networking, telecom providers are transforming new network capabilities into new services.”
The report pointed out that by the end of 2021, more than 20 telecom operators around the world have launched 5G independent networking, China and North America are the first markets to launch 5G independent networking, and subsequently, several other markets such as Australia, Japan, South Korea, Singapore, Thailand, Germany and Finland have also launched commercial 5G independent networking. Global 5G standalone networking is expected to double last year’s in 2022.
In terms of the development of the Internet of Things, the broadband Internet of Things (4G/5G) has surpassed 2G and 3G in 2021 to become the main connectivity technology of mobile IoT, accounting for 44 per cent of all connections. Northeast Asia leads the world in terms of the number of mobile IoT links, with it expected to reach 1.5 billion in 2022. In 2027, Northeast Asia will account for 60 per cent of global mobile IoT connectivity.
