Summary Key Points
India is identified as the fastest-growing 5G market globally, experiencing massive network deployments
North America leads Europe with mid-band deployments, with over 30 percent of 4G sites upgraded for mid-band 5G
The deployment of mid-band spectrum has enabled superior multi-band 5G experiences for many users in North America
Global mobile network data traffic, excluding traffic generated by Fixed Wireless Access (FWA), reached 93 EB per month at the end of 2022 and is expected to grow by a factor of 3.5 to reach 329 EB per month in 2028
When including FWA, total mobile network traffic reached around 118 EB per month at the end of 2022 and is projected to reach 472 EB per month by the end of 2028
Japan’s mobile market has a strong focus on both the introduction of advanced technologies and sustainability, with major service providers exploring the potential for Cloud Radio Access Networks (RAN) and aggressive plans to be carbon neutral in their own activities by 2030
Over 870 5G smartphone models have been launched in total, with more than 80 so far in 2023
5G smartphones are expected to account for 62 percent of all smartphones shipped in 2023
Foldable device shipments grew by 26 percent in 2022, but this category represents only 1 percent of the smartphone market
User equipment route selection policy (URSP), a capability that enables devices to automatically select network slices according to which application they are using, has been introduced on laptops running Windows 11.
Support for non-terrestrial connections in ordinary smartphones has started to emerge in the last year, with the use of 3GPP-based NTN technology expected to open this market on a global scale 10.
Service providers in Western Europe generally focus more on price than other differentiating factors, with most providers offering similar packages
In most countries where speed tiers exist, most or all service providers in that country offer them.
Around 58 percent of 5G service providers offer bundles with entertainment services included.
5G population coverage reached around 35 percent globally by the end of 2022, with 5G mobile subscriptions hitting 1.5 billion in 2023.
The top 20 5G markets have seen continued revenue growth thanks to 5G. In fact, over the past 2 years, revenue has grown around 7 percent.
Over 100 service providers now offer Fixed Wireless Access over 5G, with FWA data traffic projected to grow by a factor of nearly 6 in the next 6 years.