The development of 5G continues at a rapid pace, worldwide, with its total economic contribution to the economy reaching $1.3 trillion. by 2030. Fifth generation networks are no longer a novelty, but a central element of the global technology infrastructure, enhancing connectivity, industry and innovation.

According to the Ericsson Mobility Report for November, 5G subscriptions will exceed 2 billion in 2024, representing an increase of approximately 300 million subscriptions in one year. The coverage of 5G networks now reaches 60% of the world’s population, while it is predicted to reach 85% by 2030. In the same period, 5G is expected to represent 80% of the world’s data traffic.

In 2024, 5G subscriptions exceeded 2 billion, showing an increase of 300 million. subscriptions within a year

The average connection speed on 5G networks now reaches 10 Gbps, enabling applications such as virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) services. In many areas, 5G provides speeds up to 10 times faster than 4G, with significantly lower latency.

As the report shows, 5G is drastically impacting industry, with the IoT expected to reach 10 billion connected devices by 2030. The transport sector is expected to benefit in particular, with predictions of efficiency gains of up to 20% in autonomous transport.

Impressive adoption

Asia and North America are leading 5G growth, with China recording more than 1.3 billion 5G subscriptions by the end of 2024, while in South Korea 90% of mobile users have already switched to 5G.

Meanwhile, the report highlights that 5G can reduce the energy footprint of telecommunications networks, with Ericsson estimating up to a 30% reduction in energy consumption per GB of data compared to 4G. This is vital to achieving the global sustainability goals.

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Future prospects

The use of 5G in the automotive industry, healthcare and smart cities is predicted to double within the next five years. In addition, the development of private 5G networks is expected to positively affect the construction sector and industry.

As the report confirms, 5G is at the core of the global digital transition, boosting connectivity and economic opportunity to unprecedented levels. Its rapid adoption rates underline its importance as a driving force of technological and social development.