BUSINESS

ERICSSON: 5G SUBSCRIPTIONS FORECAST AT 4.4 BLN BY 2027

03/12/2021 07:43 PM

KUALA  LUMPUR, Dec 3  -- Swedish telco giant Ericsson has forecast that there will be 4.4 billion 5G subscriptions by the end of 2027 globally, equalling around half of all mobile subscriptions by then.

South-East Asia and Oceania region will see data traffic per smartphone growing at the fastest rate globally by 2027, it said in its latest Mobility Report released on Thursday. 

5G subscriptions are expected to touch 15 million at the end of 2021 in South East Asia and Oceania.

The Ericsson Mobility Report also said that mobile data traffic increased almost 300-fold over 10 years since 2011. The premise that 5G would become the fastest deployed mobile generation to date was enhanced with an updated estimate of close to 660 million 5G subscriptions by the end of this year. 

"The increase is due to stronger than expected demand in China and North America, driven partly by decreasing prices of 5G devices," Ericsson said.

There was also a net addition of 98 million 5G subscriptions globally in the third quarter (Q3) of 2021, compared to 48 million new 4G subscriptions. 

At the end of 2021, it is estimated that 5G networks will cover more than two billion people.

According to the latest forecasts, 5G is on track to become the dominant mobile access technology by subscriptions globally by 2027. 

By this time, 5G is expected to account for around 50 percent of all mobile subscriptions worldwide – covering 75 percent of the world’s population and carrying 62 percent of the global smartphone traffic.

Since 2011, the deployment of 4G LTE networks has been pivotal in generating 5.5 billion new smartphone connections worldwide, contributing to the market availability of more than 20,000 different 4G device models. 

The report indicates a much earlier technology lifecycle of 5G devices, with 5G handsets today accounting for 23 percent of global volumes, compared to 8 per cent of 4G handsets at the corresponding point in its lifecycle.

This is helping to fuel an exponential growth of mobile data traffic, whereby mobile network data traffic was up 42 per cent year-on-year in Q3 2021.

In Q3, more mobile data traffic was generated than all mobile traffic ever generated up until the end of 2016. New forecasts reveal that total mobile network data traffic is likely to reach 370 exabytes (EB) by end-2027.

In Southeast Asia and Oceania, mobile subscriptions have exceeded 1.1 billion. 5G subscriptions are expected to reach close to 15 million at the end of 2021 and will grow strongly over the next few years, with a forecast total of about 560 million in 2027. 

Southeast Asia and Oceania will see data traffic per smartphone increasing at the fastest rate globally, reaching 46GB per month in 2027 – a CAGR of 34 per cent. 

Total mobile data traffic will grow accordingly, at a CAGR of 39 per cent, reaching 46EB per month, driven by continued growth in 4G subscriptions and 5G uptake in markets where 5G has been launched.

David Hägerbro, head of Ericsson Malaysia, Sri Lanka, and Bangladesh, said “Ericsson is at the forefront of 5G in Malaysia where we are working closely with Digital Nasional Berhad to deliver a world class 5G network for Malaysia. 5G will serve as the catalyst for Malaysia’s digital transformation and provide the platform for IR4.0.”

-- BERNAMA


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