Ericsson published the November 2023 issue of the Mobility Report. According to the report, the number of 5G subscriptions will reach 1.6 billion by the end of 2023, an increase of 63% compared to 2022.

Ericsson published the November 2023 issue of the Ericsson Mobility Report, which is published every 6 months. According to the report, the number of new 5G subscriptions will reach 1.6 billion by the end of 2023, an increase of 63% compared to 2022, which represents an increase of 100 million compared to the previous forecast.

China is expected to be the country with the highest number of 5G subscribers at the end of 2023 with 769 million. Regionally, North America will have the highest rate of 5G subscribers globally with 61%. In India, the number of 5G subscriptions increased significantly throughout 2023. By the end of 2023, 14 months after the commercial rollout of 5G, the number of 5G subscribers in the country is estimated to exceed 11% of the population.

In the 6-year period between the end of 2023 and 2029, 5G subscriptions worldwide are expected to increase by 330% from 1.6 billion to 5.3 billion. By the end of 2023, more than 45% ent of the world's population and 85% by the end of 2029 are expected to be covered by 5G. By the end of 2029, North America and the Gulf Cooperation Council are projected to have the highest regional 5G population with 92%. These regions will be followed by Western Europe with 85%.

Mobile data traffic to triple by 2029

Global average data usage per smartphone also continues to rise. Total mobile data traffic is estimated to triple between the end of 2023 and the end of 2029. According to the report, monthly mobile data consumption per phone will reach 56 GB by the end of 2029, up from 21 GB at the end of 2023. The main reasons for this increase are technological development in devices, the increase in the amount of data-intensive content, and continuous improvements in the performance of the networks currently in service.

Combining high capacity with good coverage, 5G mid-band stands out as the ideal solution for a complete utilisation. Worldwide, the proportion of the population in 5G mid-band coverage has increased from 30% in 2022 to over 40% today. A large number of mid-band networks in India and some mid-band network deployments in Europe are seen as the main reasons for this increase.