5G estimated to reach 1.5 billion subscriptions in 2024

Source: Vsoft, 10/12/2018

Key drivers for 5G deployment include increased network capacity,
lower cost per gigabyte and new use case requirements.

North America and North East Asia are expected to lead the 5G
uptake. In North America, 5G subscriptions are forecast to account
for 55% of mobile subscriptions by the end of 2024. In North East
Asia, the corresponding forecast figure is more than 43%.

In Western Europe, 5G is forecast to account for some 30% of
mobile subscriptions in the region by end of 2024.

The uptake of NB-IoT and Cat-M1 technologies is driving growth in
the number of cellular IoT connections worldwide. Of the 4.1
billion cellular IoT connections forecast for 2024, North East
Asia is expected to account for 2.7 billion â€` a figure reflecting
both the ambition and size of the cellular IoT market in this
region.

Diverse and evolving requirements across a wide range of use cases
are prompting service providers to deploy both NB-IoT and Cat-M1
in their markets.
Mobile data traffic grew 79% between Q3 2017 and Q3 2018 â€` China a
key engine

Mobile data traffic in Q3 2018 grew close to 79% year-on-year,
which is the highest rate since 2013. Increased data-traffic-per-
smartphone in North East Asiaâ€` mainly in China â€` has pushed the
global figure notably higher. With a traffic growth per smartphone
of around 140% between end 2017 and end 2018, the region has the
second highest data traffic per smartphone at 7.3 gigabytes per
month. This is comparable to streaming HD video for around 10
hours per month.

North America still has the highest data traffic per smartphone,
set to reach 8.6 gigabytes per month by the end of this year â€`
which can be compared to streaming HD video for over 12 hours
monthly.

Between 2018-2024, total mobile data traffic is expected to
increase by a factor of five, with 5G networks projected to carry
25% of mobile traffic by the end of the period.

Fredrik Jejdling, executive vice president and head of business
area networks at Ericsson, says: “As 5G now hits the market, its
coverage build-out and uptake in subscriptions are projected to be
faster than for previous generations. At the same time, cellular
IoT continues to grow strongly. What we are seeing is the start of
fundamental changes that will impact not just the consumer market
but many industries.”