Number of global 5G connections to reach 3.2 billion by 2026; APAC to account over 60% connections: Juniper Research

NEW DELHI: The total number of global 5G connections is projected to reach 3.2 billion by 2026, up from 310 million in 2021 and the Asia Pacific (APAC) region will account for over 60% (or 2 billion) of these connections, according to a new study by market research firm Juniper Research.

To capture the monetization opportunities presented by this significant growth in connections, operators will increase investment into standalone (SA) 5G networks to position their services to manage capacity in future.

Standalone 5G networks leverage next-generation technologies such as network orchestration tools, network slicing, amongst others, allowing operators to monetize data-intensive use cases such as remote healthcare and mobile gaming.