5G Americas said that by the end of 2023, 5G will account for 29% of all connections in North America.
According to a new report from 5G Americas, based on data from Omdia, 5G connections will see a net addition of 700 million over the year, reaching 1.76 billion worldwide by the end of 2023.
North America was the leading region for 5G adoption last year, with the technology set to account for 29% of total North American connections by the end of 2023. The report found that the region saw a 64% year-over-year increase in 5G connections, adding 77 million new connections to the network, bringing the total number of 5G connections in North America to 197 million by the end of 2023.
“The wireless communications industry is at the beginning of a new era, driven by innovation, collaboration and a shared vision for a connected future. Fixed wireless access (FWA) continues to drive consumer broadband demand, and new technology milestones are advancing unparalleled connected experiences around the world,” said Chris Pearson, president, 5G Americas.
The report also notes that Latin America will also see significant progress in both 4G LTE and 5G connections, with LTE connections expected to reach 582 million by the end of 2023, an addition of 40 million new connections year-over-year. On the 5G front, the region had 39 million 5G connections at the end of last year.
“4G LTE remains the most powerful technology in the region,” said Jose Otero, vice president of Latin America and the Caribbean for 5G Americas, who said the region is expected to see an increase in 5G coverage and subscribers this year, driven mainly by the widespread adoption of 5G-enabled phones and the completion of spectrum auctions.
According to Omdia forecasts, global 5G connections are expected to grow to 7.9 billion by 2028, with North America predicted to reach 700 million 5G connections by the same year.
“The forecast shows that 5G will achieve the global milestone of accounting for more than half of all connections by 2028, with North America as an early leader, seeing 5G account for more than 80% of connections,” said Christine Poulin, principal analyst at Omdia.
Furthermore, the report highlights that 5G data traffic is expected to reach 2.6 billion TB, accounting for 76% of all technology data traffic, and by 2028, all technology data traffic will reach 3.4 billion TB, reflecting the exponential growth of 5G connections.
The report also noted the growing momentum of IoT on a global level. Currently, there are 3.1 billion IoT subscriptions and 6.6 billion smartphone subscriptions worldwide. Forecasts suggest that by 2026, IoT subscriptions will reach 4.5 billion, while smartphone subscriptions will soar to 7.4 billion.
There are currently 314 commercial 5G networks worldwide, and this number is expected to grow to 450 by 2025. According to the 5G Americas report, North America had 17 commercial 5G networks as of the end of 2023, while the number of 5G networks in Latin America and the Caribbean was 39.
In the 4G LTE segment, North America had 18 networks at the end of 2023, while Latin America and the Caribbean had a total of 135 networks.
