5G is expected to become the fastest deployed mobile communication technology in history

The telecommunications company Ericsson released the latest mobile report. Its long-term forecast is set at 2026. 5G will eventually replace the aging 4G infrastructure and equipment and become a global wireless standard.

Ericsson said that 5G is expanding rapidly, and pointed out that in the first quarter of 2021, the number of 5G subscribers with functional devices increased by more than 70 million to 290 million. Ericsson predicts that by the end of 2021, 5G users will reach 580 million. By 2026, North America will occupy a leading position among 5G mobile users, with 84% of mobile users having 5G coverage.

Ericsson said that this will enable 5G users to reach 1 billion faster than 4G by two years. Quoting the data for 2026 again, it is estimated that 5G users worldwide will reach 3.5 billion, accounting for 40% of all mobile users. 

Ericsson said that by 2026, 5G will be universal, and all 10 regions defined by it will have at least some degree of access. Ericsson predicts that by 2026, 7% of users in sub-Saharan Africa will use 5G networks, while North America will reach the aforementioned 84% penetration rate. In contrast, by 2020, Northeast Asia will have the highest 5G penetration rate, with 9% of its mobile plans being 5G. By 2026, the region will have a 5G penetration rate of 65%, ranking fourth, second only to North America, the Gulf Cooperation Council and Western Europe.

Smartphones and their users are not the only beneficiaries of the rapid introduction of 5G. Ericsson mentioned that with the development of 5G, fixed wireless access and broadband Internet of Things are also expanding rapidly.

Fixed wireless access refers to any service that uses 4G or 5G as a connection to the Internet from a fixed location. Considered to a large extent as a way to eliminate the last mile problem in rural areas, more than 70% of service providers now provide FWA, and 90% of them have already launched 5G services. Ericsson predicts that by the end of 2026, more than 20% of global mobile network data traffic will come from FWA.

Ericsson stated that the adoption of FWA is mainly driven by three factors: the demand for broadband connections, the cost-effectiveness compared to wired broadband services, and the government’s provision of broadband access as an important part of digital transformation and economic growth initiatives. Subsidies.

Perhaps the most interesting thing for business leaders is that broadband Internet of Things (the report defines 4G or 5G) will replace 2G/3G Internet of Things as narrowband (NB-IoT) and Cat-M (designed for IoT hardware) 4G chip) is expected to increase by 80% by 2021.

Ericsson said that broadband connections for IoT devices have opened up a new way of use cases, citing cloud-based augmented reality/virtual reality, remote control of machines and vehicles, cloud robots, better cloud games, and real-time coordination and control of machines. And processes as potential use cases. Ericsson said that all these services are of the utmost importance to time and will be realized by further expanding 5G stand-alone IoT devices that do not require 4G backbone operation.