Viavi Solutions has revealed the latest statistics on the number of cities with 5G networks and 5G countries and regions where investment is happening.
The number of 5G cities stands at 1,947 globally. 5G cities came online at a rate of nearly two per day, with the addition of 635 new 5G cities in 2021, according to a report from Viavi Solutions.
72 countries had 5G networks by the end of January 2022. Argentina, Bhutan, Kenya, Kazakhstan, Malaysia, Malta and Mauritius launched 5G networks in the second half of 2021. Europe, Middle East & Africa (EMEA) has overtaken Asia Pacific including Greater China (APAC) to become the region with the most 5G cities at 839. APAC has 689 5G cities and the Americas has 419.
Top 10 5G cities
China 356
United States 296
Philippines 98
South Korea 85
Canada 84
Spain 71
Italy 65
Germany 58
United Kingdom 57
Saudi Arabia 48
Most 5G networks deployed are Non-Standalone (NSA) networks, meaning that 5G equipment is added to existing 4G network infrastructure. There are currently 24 Standalone (SA) 5G networks, meaning that they have been built using a new 5G core network.
Many of the 5G use cases and monetization models associated with 5G, beyond enhanced Mobile Broadband (eMBB) will only be possible when Standalone 5G networks built on new 5G core networks are in place.
As of March 2022, 64 mobile network operators have announced their participation in the development of Open RAN networks. This breaks down to 23 live deployments of Open RAN networks, 34 in the trial phase with a further 7 operators that have announced they are in the pre-trial phase.
