More than 1 billion people to have access to 5G coverage by the end of 2020 globally

Last week we released the Ericsson Mobility Report, November edition, and the insights from the report point to a strong uptake on 5G in markets where it has been launched. 4G networks meanwhile continue to gain momentum and are further evolving to deliver increased network capacity and faster data speeds. The global 4G population coverage is expected to be over 80 per cent at the end of 2020. More than 1 billion people will have access to 5G coverage by that time. Current 5G uptake in subscriptions and population coverage confirms the 5G technology deployment as being the fastest of any generation of mobile connectivity. By the end of 2026, the report forecasts 3.5 billion 5G subscriptions globally, accounting for around 40 per cent of all mobile subscriptions at that time.

The Ericsson Mobility Report projects that four out of every ten mobile subscriptions in 2026 will be 5G. The report estimates that by the end of 2020, more than 1 billion people – 15 per cent of the world’s population – will live in an area that has 5G coverage rolled out. 220 million global 5G subscriptions are also expected by the end of this year and is forecast to reach around 95 per cent in 2026.