5G subscriptions are expected to reach 1 billion by the end of 2022 and 5 billion by the end of 2028, according to Ericsson Mobility Report released in November 2022.
Fixed Wireless Access (FWA) connections will reach 300 million in 2028, where 5G will account for almost 80 percent of FWA connections.
5G service has reached 25 percent population coverage globally, but front-runner markets like the US have already reached 80 percent.
228 operators have already launched commercial 5G services globally. Around 35 service providers have deployed 5G standalone (SA) networks in public networks.
5G subscriptions grew by 110 million during the third quarter to around 870 million.
North America and North East Asia are expected to have the highest 5G subscription penetration by the end of 2022 at around 35 percent, followed by the Gulf Cooperation Council countries at 20 percent and Western Europe at 11 percent. In 2028, North America will have the highest 5G penetration at 91 percent, followed by Western Europe at 88 percent.
5G will become the dominant mobile access technology by subscriptions in 2027. Subscriptions for 4G have grown by 41 million during Q3 2022 to around 5 billion. 4G subscriptions are projected to peak at 5.2 billion by the end of 2022, then decline to around 3.6 billion by the end of 2028 as subscribers migrate to 5G. During the quarter, 3G subscriptions declined by 41 million, while GSM/EDGE-only subscriptions dropped by 44 million and other technologies3 decreased by about 6 million.
During the quarter, China had the most net additions (+15 million), followed by Nigeria (+5 million) and Indonesia (+4 million).
Around 8.4 billion mobile subscriptions are estimated by the end of 2022, and this figure is projected to increase to around 9.2 billion by the end of 2028. During this time, the share of mobile broadband subscriptions will increase from 85 to 93 percent, while the number of unique mobile subscribers is projected to grow from 6.1 to 6.8 billion.
