5G mobile subscriptions to reach four billion by 2027
By Dele Ojo
The fifth generation of cellular networks, (5G) subscriptions are expected to reach 4.4 billion in the year 2027, as service providers continue to switch on the platform in which more than 180 have launched commercial 5G services globally.
While 5G subscriptions grew by 98 million during the third quarter of 2021 to around 570 million, by the end of the year it was estimated more than 660 million subscriptions would have been recorded. These were some of the findings of Ericsson, in its Ericsson Mobility Report, released recently.
According to the report, currently, North East Asia has the highest 5G subscription penetration, followed by North America, the Gulf Cooperation Council countries, and Western Europe. In 2027, it is projected that North America will have the highest 5G penetration at 90 percent.
In Sub-Saharan Africa, over the forecast period, discernible volumes of 5G subscriptions are expected from 2022, reaching 10 percent in 2027.
The platform subscription uptake is expected to be faster than that of 4G following its launch in 2009, reaching one billion subscriptions over two years sooner than 4G did.
The report indicated that key factors to enable the rapid inroad of the fifth generation include, the timely availability of devices from several vendors, with prices falling faster than for 4G, as well as China’s early engagement.
“By the end of 2027, we forecast 4.4 billion 5G subscriptions globally, accounting for 49 percent of all mobile subscriptions. 5G will become the dominant mobile access technology by subscriptions in 2027”, the report indicated.
”Over the last 10 years, mobile technology has had an incredible impact on society and business, above and beyond what anyone could have imagined. With this edition of the Ericsson Mobility Report, we take a look back at some of the key trends and events that have shaped the last decade as we celebrate the 10th anniversary of this report.
“If the last decade saw a lot of change, it’s probably nothing compared to what we expect to happen in the next. When we lift our gaze to 2027 and consider the 5G subscription forecast, which estimates that around half of all mobile subscriptions will be for 5G at that time, it is clear that underneath the numbers lies a continuous change in how we act, live and work,” said Fredrik Jejdling, Executive Vice President and Head of Business Area Networks.
The report indicated that the pandemic has shown how fast things can change, and how critical digital infrastructure is to society, stressing that 5G is entering a new phase, where not only will consumers benefit from new applications, but also businesses and industries will take advantage of new capabilities.
The Ericsson Mobility Report aims to continue its mission to be a beacon for the mobile industry, shining at least some light onto what that future might look like.
Recently, the Federal Government justified the decision to allow the deployment of the Fifth Generation (5G) network in the country, saying that the global mobile data traffic and in Nigeria particularly, is on the upward trajectory, increasing exponentially year-on-year.
Thus, FG said there is a need for an effective and cost-efficient network expansion to ensure optimal support for this traffic growth, with global mobile data traffic reaching a monthly rate of 56.8 exabytes in 2021, as compared to 3.7 exabytes in 2015.
Besides, FG is also eyeing part of the $12.3 trillion 5G economic output by 2035 and its value chain support for approximately 22 million jobs, as estimated by Qualcomm.
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