The growth of 5G connectivity is set to accelerate the use of private mobile networks across industry.
Superfast 5G connectivity will drive growth of private mobile networks, the ‘smart factory’ and deployment of IoT solutions in manufacturing production and connectivity of remote working and multi-site collaboration.
5G connections will surpass two billion by 2025, according to the GSMA. By the end of 2025, 5G will account for over a fifth of total mobile connections and more than two in five people globally will live within reach of a 5G network.
This unprecedented growth represents the fastest generational roll-out for the mobile industry compared to 3G and 4G. By comparison, 18 months after its launch, 5G accounted for more than 5.5 per cent of mobile connections – neither 3G nor 4G exceeded 2.2 per cent penetration in the same time.
Today there are nearly 200 live 5G networks in seventy countries, including 68 operators providing 5G Fixed Wireless Access (FWA) services and 23 delivering Stand Alone (SA) 5G services. All this supports consumer demand propelled by an ever-growing portfolio of 5G-enabled smartphones across various price points.
“5G accounts for a much larger share of global mobile connections than 3G or 4G did at the same point in their lifecycles. Momentum has been boosted by factors including innovative plans, video streaming services, rising 5G handset sales, and network coverage expansions,” said Alex Sinclair, chief technology officer, GSMA.
“In addition, the launch of 5G services in Latin America and Sub-Saharan Africa over the last year means that the technology is now available in every region of the world, so we are set to see more growth and more transformation for services.”
Early network capability initiatives are underway to support the increasing number of innovative consumer and enterprise use cases across the 5G Era. These include the 5G utilisation of multiple sub-3GHz spectrum bands, 5G mmWave, 5G Advanced, and Private Networks.
Opportunities and potential of 5G are being showcased at the Mobile World Congress (MWC) in Barcelona this week (27 February – 2 March)
