Asia Pacific consumers continue to move towards 5G, with more affordable devices, promotional plans, discounts and larger data bundles from service providers driving increased subscription numbers, according to the latest Ericsson Mobility Report, released on June 27.
As of the end of 2023, the number of 5G subscribers in the region is expected to reach 61 million, accounting for more than 20% of mobile subscribers in Singapore, Australia, Thailand and Malaysia. Ten years later, the number of 5G mobile subscribers is expected to reach 560 million, accounting for 43% of the total market in Asia Pacific.
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Although 5G population coverage is expanding, 5G mid-band has only been deployed at approximately 25% of sites worldwide outside mainland China. 5G mid-band spectrum delivers an optimal balance of both coverage and capacity while improving user experience. As the technology matures, the focus of many service providers is expected to shift to developing differentiated connectivity services.
Rita Mokbel, head of Ericsson Vietnam, said: “Ericsson’s investments in research and development and a broad product portfolio are well appreciated in a market where technology is constantly evolving. Our products have been 5G ready since 2015 and more than 10 million 5G-ready radios have been shipped since then. We will leverage our global and local deployment experience and robust technology to support a seamless large-scale rollout of 5G in Vietnam.”
The report also predicts that the number of global 5G subscribers will approach 5.6 billion by the end of 2029, with coverage outside mainland China doubling to 80% from 40% at the end of 2023.
Currently, approximately 300 communications service providers (CSPs) around the world are offering 5G services, and 5G is expected to account for approximately 60% of all mobile subscribers by the end of 2029.
Approximately 160 million 5G subscriptions were added worldwide in the first three months of 2024, bringing the total to more than 1.7 billion. For the whole of 2024, approximately 600 million new subscriptions are expected.
Data traffic on mobile networks grew 25% compared to March last year, mainly due to subscriber migration to next-generation services and data-intensive services such as video.
By the end of last year, about a quarter of all mobile network data was carried by 5G, and mobile data traffic is predicted to grow at a compound annual growth rate of about 20 percent over the next decade.
Fredrik Jedling, executive vice president and head of Networks, Ericsson, said: “The June 2024 Ericsson Mobility Report shows continued strong adoption of 5G subscriptions. Enhanced mobile broadband and fixed wireless access are the leading use cases, and there are signs that 5G capabilities are impacting service providers’ fixed wireless access offerings.”
Since its launch in 2011, the Ericsson Mobility Report, based on unique insights into Ericsson and its partners’ networks, has become the industry’s leading reference for network data, performance, statistics and forecasts.
