North America had a total of 151 million 5G connections and 496 million LTE connections as of the end of the second quarter of the year, 5G Americas said
The number of 5G subscribers at a global level is expected to reach 8 billion by 2028, up from the current 1.4 billion 5G connections, 5G Americas reported, citing data from Omdia.
According to the report, the total number of 5G connections at the end of this year is expected to reach nearly 2 billion.
According to the latest data from Omdia, a total of 331 million new global 5G connections were added in the first half of the year.
Chris Pearson, president of 5G Americas, said: “The phenomenal global growth of 5G connections underscores the insatiable demand for advanced connectivity. With 1.4 billion connections and counting, we are witnessing the transformative power of 5G technology as the industry focuses on integrating 5G connectivity into new devices and services in this era of innovation.”
The report noted that North America had a total of 151 million 5G connections and 496 million LTE connections as of the end of the second quarter of the year. The 5G penetration rate in North America has reached 40%, with a growth rate of 25.5% in the first half of 2023. Projections indicate that North America’s 5G connections will reach 669 million by 2028, according to the report.
Kristin Paulin, principal analyst at Omdia said: “5G Standalone is being deployed by North American operators, and it will bring advancements like network slicing, ultra reliable, low-latency communications and massive machine type communications, which will propel growth with this technology generation further.”
In Latin America and the Caribbean, 4G LTE networks continue to show robust growth in Q2 2023, as the region ended June with 565 million 4G LTE connections, reflecting a quarterly growth of 1.6%
The region is forecast to reach 501 million connections in the 5G segment by the end of 2028, up from 62 million at end-2023.
Jose Otero, vice president of Caribbean and Latin America for 5G Americas, said: “4G LTE and 5G are at different stages of their technological deployment and market cycles in Latin America. Both are very important for the region’s current and future connectivity needs. Although 4G is pervasive throughout the area, the new mobile generation is gaining traction in countries that have assigned spectrum for the buildout of 5G networks. Brazil, Chile, and Puerto Rico are experiencing accelerated 5G adoption, with countries like the Dominican Republic, Guatemala, Peru, and Uruguay also expanding the technology’s population coverage.”
Overall, the number of 5G commercial networks globally has reached 287, according to data from 5G Americas. That figure is expected to reach 425 by the end of 2025.
