About 40 GB of data (data) per month will consume, on average, every smartphone and laptop worldwide by 2030. In simple words 40 GB equivalent to about 40 hours of continuous streaming videos in high resolution, or over 10,000 high quality photos uplifted or taken by cloud, or more than 1 million. If we are talking about chats and images in WhatsApp, 40 GB are sufficient for thousands of short photos and videos per month. Once, these sizes seemed unlikely. Today, it is already reality and in the coming years it will be the rule.

This shows the Ericsson Mobility Report 2025, one of the most valid reports in the world on the course of mobile networks, data use and telecommunications technologies. With a forecast time horizon in 2030, it records trends that are already shaping the future, with particular emphasis on the explosive development of 5G technology and generalized dependence on data networks.

Total mobile subscriptions worldwide will reach 9.43 billion by 2030, from 8.51 billion in 2023, with an average annual increase in (CAGR). In particular, smartphone connections will exceed $ 8.29 billion, compared to $ 6.93 billion just seven years earlier. At the same time, mobile PCS, tablets and routers will increase from 260 million in 2023 to 530 million, almost doubled.

The focus of the following technology period is clearly 5G. 5G subscriptions will be launched from $ 1.62 billion to $ 6.29 billion by 2030, with a growth rate of 18% per year. Faster 5G standalone connections are increased, independent of earlier infrastructure, which will reach 3.66 billion at a rate of 19%. In contrast, GSM/Edge and WCDMA/HSPA technologies decline rapidly, falling 13% and 11% respectively each year.

The data that will be traded

Data traffic is probably the most impressive indicator. The monthly consumption per smartphone will be more than doubled, from 17 GB in 2023 to 37 GB in 2030, while a tablet will reach 27 GB (from 13 GB) and 40 GB per laptop. On a global scale, total mobile data traffic will reach 280 exabytes (EB) per month, compared to 106 EB in 2023. Of these, smartphones and alone will be “responsible” for 274 EB, making the dominant consumer worldwide.

The course of Fixed Wireless Access (FWA) connections, which offer a fixed internet through wireless technology, is also impressive. FWA connections will increase from 130 million in 2023 to 350 million in 2030, with an annual increase of 14%, while the monthly data use will reach 151 EB (compared to just 31 EB in 2023), recording a 24% average annual rate.

With regard to fixed broadband connections, they follow up from 1.53 billion in 2023 to 1.99 billion in 2030. The annual increase reaches 4%, as opposed to the technologies of the past gradually.

At the geographical level, interest is shifted from mature markets to rapidly growing areas. In Western Europe, for example, mobile subscriptions increase from 550 to just 570 million, zero virtually increasing.

North America also has a slight increase, reaching 480 million. On the contrary, sub -Saharan Africa is expected to reach 1.27 billion subscriptions, with a 4% growth rate, while India, Nepal and Bhutan will reach 1.31 billion.

Similarly, smartphone subscriptions will increase more in emerging markets. Sub -Saharan Africa is expected to double its subscriptions, from 460 million to 890 million, at an annual rate of 9%. Latin America and South Asia are increasing 3%, while China, already saturated, remains stagnant at 1.79 billion devices.

Practically what all this means for an average consumer

By 2030, the daily use of the smart mobile phone will require more and more data. From high-resolution videos and social media to cloud photos and online shopping, the average consumer will need larger data packages and more frequent use of Wi-Fi. They will now be offered by providers financial packages for the use of many data. Old devices will not withstand and will have to be replaced. At the same time, 5G will cover more and more areas, offering better Wi-Fi speeds, especially useful to those living in a province or frequently moved.

The Fixed Wireless Access will replace traditional fixed connections, especially in remote areas. The digital progress of emerging countries reduces the technological lead of Europeans, demanding constant familiarity with new technologies so as not to be left behind. Access to data and services is no longer a luxury – it is a basic need. Digital illiteracy turns into a serious obstacle. For the average citizen, “I have a mobile” will not be enough as it has to learn to make it effectively use it in order to participate in society, the economy and everyday life.

Overall, the image that emerges from the report shows that people are moving rapidly towards an increasingly linked future, where access to data is not a luxury but a prerequisite for participation in society, economics and everyday life.

5G accelerates innovation, the use of data is ejected, and the regions that have been left behind until recently emerged as protagonists of the next day.

Within this setting, every megabyte, every gigabyte, every new connection is not just technology but access, ability, identity and opportunity.