The Swedish telecommunications giant Ericsson said that by the end of this year, more than one billion users around the world would have 5G coverage. This makes 5G the fastest deployed mobile network ever according to Ericsson. 5G has reached more subscribers this year than anticipated, according to Ericsson’s biannual mobility survey, which will protect about 60 per cent of the world’s total population by the year 2026.
“5G coverage will be built out to the extent that 1 billion people will live in 5G coverage areas by the end of 2020 worldwide,” Patrick Cerwall, head of strategic marketing insights at Ericsson was quoted by CNet as saying in an interview.
At the end of this year, the study says that 218 million 5G subscriptions will be available worldwide, up from Ericsson’s 190 million estimates back in June. By 2026, there would be about 3.5 billion 5G subscribers and 2.8 billion subscriptions by 2025. Also, Ericsson said that its 5G service had been turned on by more than 100 operators around the world. Three critical reasons for the accelerated development of the 5G network are cited in the study, next to the launch of 5G capabilities for low-cost smartphones. Few 5G smartphones costs as little as $200 to $300, 5G-enabled mobile availability is driving 5G growth. Second, with government funding, several countries are opting to make the provision of 5G networks a strategic technology priority. Third, competition among mobile companies who are willing to declare 5G support to lure customers of the new smartphones.
The Ericsson study has also said that over 175 million out of the almost 200 million 5G connections this year will be in China. Around 11 per cent of all smartphone subscribers in China will be 5G by the end of 2020. However, just 14 million of the subscriptions in North America will be 5G. In comparison, about 80% of network subscribers in North America will be 5G by 2026 and 66% in Northeast Asia, which will include 5G links in China, South Korea and Japan, the Ericsson study said.
