Over 150 million (157 million) 5G connections were added worldwide between the fourth quarter of 2022 and the first quarter of 2023, reaching a total of 1.2 billion connections worldwide, according to research from Omdio and 5G Americas. North America now has 133 million 5G connections and 503 million LTE connections, the researchers said.
The rate of adoption – which a press release referred to as a “surge” – will enable the sector to reach 1.9 billion connections by the end of this year and 6.8 billion by the end of 2027. If so, the annual growth rate will be almost 1 billion connections.
The 5G penetration rate in North America is almost 36%, with 14 million new connections so far this year. Connections are projected to reach 601 million by the end of 2027.
“Initial 5G deployments have laid a strong foundation and now operators are focused on standalone 5G and beyond to advance 5G and bring about further innovations,” Omdia Principal Analyst Kristin Paulin said in the press release.
“By 2025, 5G is expected to be the dominant mobile technology in North America. And, in the four years from the end of 2023 to the end of 2027, Omdia forecasts 5G in North America will grow 184% to reach 601 million subscriptions.”
The press release cites TeleGeography and 5G Americas assessment that as of June 15 there now are 267 commercial 5G networks worldwide, including 14 in North America and 28 in the Caribbean and Latin America. There are 703 LTE networks worldwide, including 17 in North America and 129 in the Caribbean and Latin America.
The number of 5G networks worldwide is expected to reach 386 by end of this year and 413 by the end of 2025.