The June 2023 edition of the Ericsson Mobility Report shows 5G still growing at a strong rate. Total 5G subscriptions are projected to pass the 1.5 billion mark this year, growing by 500 million in just 1 year. Following the launch of 5G services in October 2022, the major growth area is the 5G Indian market that is seeing huge network deployments under its Digital India initiative. 5G subscriptions in India reached about 10 million by end of 2022 and are estimated to account for about 57 percent of mobile subscriptions in the country by the end of 2028, making it the fastest growing 5G region globally. Meanwhile, in North America the addition of mid-band spectrum now enables superior multi-band 5G experiences for many users.

The latest Ericsson Mobility Report also shows that the uptake of 5G subscriptions in North America has been stronger than expected in previous forecasts. At the end of 2022, the region had the highest 5G global subscription penetration at 41 percent. 5G subscriptions are rising in every region worldwide and forecast to reach 1.5 billion by the end of 2023. Global mobile network data traffic continues to grow with the monthly global average usage per smartphone expected to exceed 20 GB by the end of 2023.

The uptake of 5G subscriptions in North America has been stronger than expected, and at the end of 2022 the region had the highest 5G subscription In northeast Asia the penetration was 30 percent, followed by the Gulf Cooperation Council countries at 18 percent and Western Europe at 13 percent. In 2028, it is projected that North America will have the highest 5G penetration at 91 percent, followed by Western Europe at 88 percent.

Worldwide, around 240 communications service providers (CSPs) have launched commercial 5G services and about 35 have deployed or launched 5G standalone (SA). The most common 5G services launched by service providers for consumers are enhanced mobile broadband, Fixed Wireless Access (FWA), gaming and some AR/VR-based services, such as training and education. More than 100 CSPs, comprising about 40 percent of FWA service providers, currently offer FWA over 5G. By 2028 5G is estimated to account for almost 80 percent of all FWA connections.

The full report is available here: https://www.ericsson.com/en/reports-and-papers/mobility-report/reports/june-2023.