STOCKHOLM — More than one billion people, or 15% of the world’s population, will have access to 5G coverage by the end of 2020, according to the latest edition of the Ericsson Mobility Report.
In addition, Ericsson has raised its year-end 2020 estimate for global 5G subscriptions to 220 million, with China accounting for 175 million of those, or almost 80%.
North America is expected to end 2020 with about 4% of its mobile subscriptions being 5G, according to the report.
The November 2020 Ericsson Mobility Report projects 60% of the world’s population will have access to 5G coverage in 2026, with global 5G subscriptions forecast to reach 3.5 billion by the end of that year, representing four out every 10 mobile subscriptions. By the end of 2026, 5G traffic is expected to account for more than 50% of global mobile data traffic, says Ericsson.
Ericsson is forecasting 80% of North American mobile subscriptions will be 5G by 2026, the highest level of any region in the world.
Despite uncertainties caused by the Covid-19 pandemic, the pace of introducing new 5G functionality in both networks and devices has increased globally in 2020, says Ericsson. “This year has seen society take a big leap towards digitalization. The pandemic has highlighted the impact connectivity has on our lives and has acted as a catalyst for rapid change, which is also clearly visible in this latest edition of the Ericsson Mobility Report,” said Fredrik Jejdling, executive vice-president and head of networks at Ericsson, in a press release.
“5G is entering the next phase, when new devices and applications make the most out of the benefits it provides, while service providers continue to build out 5G. Mobile networks are a critical infrastructure for many aspects of everyday life and 5G will be key to future economic prosperity,” he added.
The report also notes the number of service providers offering fixed wireless access (FWA) is on the rise. Almost two-thirds of service providers globally now have an FWA offering. Ericsson forecasts FWA connections will grow more than threefold and reach more than 180 million by the end of 2026, accounting for about a quarter of all mobile network data traffic.
For more, please click here. The November 2020 Ericsson Mobility Report can be downloaded here.
Photo illustration from Ericsson.
