5G commercialisation continues to gather pace around the world and as of January 2024, 261 operators in 101 countries globally had launched commercial 5G mobile services, according to GSMA latest report titled ‘The Mobile Economy 2024’.
It notes that more markets are expected to follow, with more than 90 operators from 64 markets making a commitment to launch 5G in the coming years.
By the end of last year, it reveals that there were 1.6 billion 5G connections, which will rise to 5.5 billion by 2030.
It states that the number of connections on legacy networks (2G and 3G) will continue to decline in the coming years as users migrate to 4G and 5G, leading to an increasing number of network sunsets.
According to GSMA Intelligence, 143 networks (2G and 3G) are scheduled to be retired between the end of 2023 and 2030, with around 50% of these planned by the end of 2024.1
It states, developed Asia Pacific, North America and Greater China will lead the way in terms of 5G adoption, driven by the expansion of network coverage, intensified 5G marketing efforts and the increasing prevalence of 5G devices. With 5G already established, leading operators in these markets are now rolling out 5G SA and making plans for 5G-Advanced.
However, in emerging 5G markets the pace of growth in connections and coverage will be slower due to challenges related to device affordability and spectrum availability.
This highlights that 4G still has plenty of room to grow and will remain the dominant technology in many countries for the period to 2030.
Despite talk of a slowdown in growth, monthly global mobile data traffic per connection surged from 10.2 GB in 2022 to 12.8 GB in 2023, marking the largest absolute increase since data tracking commenced in 2016.
In line with previous years, a significant disparity persists between high-income regions and LMICs.
One exception is India, where the average monthly data usage of 19 GB ranks among the highest worldwide. Looking ahead, mobile data traffic is forecast to grow at a CAGR of 23% between 2023 and 2030, reaching more than 465 exabytes (EB) per month by the end of the decade.
According to the GSMA’s Mobile Economy 2024 report, mobile connectivity remains pivotal in driving digital innovation. It empowers individuals and enterprises with a wide array of transformative technologies while also aiding governments in delivering positive societal impacts.
By the end of 2023, 5.6 billion people (69% of the global population) subscribed to a mobile service,representing an increase of 1.6 billion people since 2015.
“ Growth in mobile internet penetration has been even faster. At the end of 2023, 58% of the world’s population used mobile internet, equating to 4.7 billion users – an increase of 2.1 billion since 2015.” It notes
By the end of 2023, 5.6 billion people (69% of the global population) subscribed to a mobile service, representing an increase of 1.6 billion people since 2015.
Despite saturation in high-income countries, there is still room for growth in many low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). Consequently, mobile penetration is projected to increase to 6.3 billion by 2030, encompassing 74% of the global population. Growth in mobile internet penetration has been even faster.
At the end of 2023, 58% of the world’s population used mobile internet, equating to 4.7 billion users – an increase of 2.1 billion since 2015. Of the 3.4 billion people who remain unconnected to mobile internet, 90% (3 billion) live in an area already covered by mobile broadband but do not use mobile internet services.
This underscores the urgency of addressing the primary barriers to mobile internet adoption, namely affordability (particularly of handsets) and literacy/digital skills.
However, the usage gap remains: 3 billion people live in areas covered by mobile broadband networks but do not use mobile internet. Addressing the usage gap is crucial to closing the digital divide, thereby unlocking the benefits of life-enhancing applications beyond communication, including digital finance, health and clean energy.
The impact of mobile connectivity is evidenced by its contribution to the economy. In 2023, mobile technologies and services generated 5.4% of global GDP, a contribution that amounted to $5.7 trillion of economic value added, and supported around 35 million jobs.