As of the first quarter of 2020, more than 63.6 million 5G connections were active throughout the world, according to 5G Americas.
The coronavirus pandemic has stifled progress in many areas. But one technology that has continued to grow in the face of the pandemic is 5G. A report released Wednesday by industry trade group 5G Americas tracks the growth of 5G rollouts.
The number of active 5G connections around the world hit 63.6 million as of the first quarter of 2020, a jump of 308% from the last quarter of 2019, according to data from research firm Omdia. There are now 82 5G commercial networks in the world, a level expected to more than double to 206 by the end of the year, according to research from TeleGeography. Further, more than 100 commercial 5G device models are now available, according to the Ericsson Mobility June 2020 Report, with many offering support for low-band, mid-band, and millimeter (mmWave) frequency bands.
To combat the effects of the coronavirus, some governments in Latin America and the Caribbean have adjusted the taxes and terms required by communications services.
“The lack of devices due to global logistic obstacles has resulted in negative subscriber growth and slower uptake of newer technologies,” Otero said. “It is expected that until the situation normalizes all spectrum assignment processes would be delayed and that no new networks would be launched during this period.”
Globally, the number of 5G connections are projected to reach 238 million by the end of 2020, with North America accounting for 10 million of them, according to Kristin Paulin, senior analyst at Omdia. Latin America and the Caribbean will account for an additional 270,000 connections. Paulin said she expects growth to pick up over the second half of 2020 as coronavirus lockdowns ease, 5G networks expand, and more 5G devices become available.
