5G is expected to account for 25% of global mobile traffic this year, according to the latest Ericsson Mobility Report
Ericsson’s new mobility report looks ahead to the peak of the 5G era, with 85% of the world’s population expected to have access to 5G by the end of 2029 and global 5G subscribers to exceed 5.3 billion. , predicts that average data consumption per person will increase. Smartphones reach 56 GB per month (increasing to 21 GB by the end of 2023).
5G is expected to become the dominant mobile technology by 2028, five years from now. According to the report, the number of 4G LTE subscribers is currently at its peak. In the third quarter of 2023, there was an increase of 6 million people, bringing the total to 5.2 billion. This number is expected to fall to around 3.2 billion by the end of 2029 as the transition to 5G becomes more fully established.
However, the report acknowledges that for now “5G deployment is far from complete,” stating that global population coverage will reach around 40% by the end of this year. “Achieving the full 5G experience requires further densification of 5G mid-band sites,” Ericsson adds. Ericsson estimates that by the end of this year, around 30% of existing (LTE) sites around the world will have 5G mid-band spectrum deployed. This is a macro network view, but most traffic is generated indoors. As a result, Ericsson said, “There is an increasing need to extend 5G mid-band coverage indoors to ensure a comprehensive 5G experience.”
The report said 5G services are currently dominated by enhanced mobile broadband (eMBB), fixed wireless access (FWA) broadband, gaming, and some augmented reality/virtual reality services.
Global 5G subscriptions are expected to reach 1.6 billion by the end of this year, accounting for 18% of all mobile subscriptions. Regionally, North America leads in terms of 5G subscription rate, which is expected to reach 61% by the end of 2023. Northeast Asia follows with 41%, followed by Gulf Cooperation Council countries with 34% and Western Europe with around 25% 5G penetration, Ericsson said. In India, he said, 5G subscriber growth has been strong since the launch of 5G networks, but market penetration is still only around 11%.
Regarding legacy technologies, the Mobility Report states that there were 61 million fewer 3G contracts and 55 million fewer GSM/EDGE-only connections in the third quarter of this year. Other technologies decreased by approximately 2 million.
The growth in data traffic seems unstoppable, with mobile network data traffic increasing by about 7% from the second quarter of 2023 to the third quarter of 2023, and 33% compared to the third quarter of last year. Ericsson said total global mobile data traffic (excluding FWA traffic) is likely to reach 130EB per month by the end of 2023. Including FWA traffic, that number is around 160 EB per month. In the Mobility Report, he predicts that mobile data traffic without FWA will reach 403 EB per month by 2029, or 563 EB per month when FWA is taken into account.
By the end of this year, video traffic is estimated to account for 73% of all mobile data traffic.
In terms of devices, the report notes that a total of more than 1,000 5G smartphone models have been launched, and 5G-enabled phones are expected to account for 62% of smartphones shipped this year, up from 57% last year. .
For more information, see the new Ericsson Mobility Report.
