The Number Of 5G Users Will Increase By 220 Million By The End Of 2020

Erricson's office illustration (pixabay)

JAKARTA - The Swedish telecommunications company, Ericsson, estimates that the number of 5G mobile users will increase by the end of 2020. At least 220 million 5G subscribers will come from China.

This figure exceeds Ericsson's previous estimate of 190 million subscribers. This means that China accounts for nearly 80 percent of the total new users of the 5G network.

"What has sparked growth is China, and itself driven by a strong strategic national focus on 5G in China," Network Head Fredrik Jejdling told Reuters Tuesday, December 1.

Ericsson said in its biannual Mobility Report that 2020 will see society take a "huge leap towards digitization," as the pandemic acts as a catalyst for rapid change and highlights the impact of connectivity on people's daily lives.

"About 15 percent of the world's population, or 1 billion people, are expected to be in the area that will be covered by 5G by the end of the year," he added.

The company estimates there will be as many as 3.5 billion 5G subscribers by the end of 2026, accounting for more than 50 percent of mobile data traffic, and with four out of every 10 cellular subscribers being 5G.

Ericsson, which competes with China's Huawei and Finland's Nokia, estimates that 60 percent of the world's population will have access to 5G coverage by 2026. Ericsson has won contracts from the three major Chinese carriers to supply radio equipment for 5G networks.

The mobile network industry has faced diminishing demand for 4G and older network equipment, but 5G spending in North America has helped drive a return to growth. The new generation of cell phone technology will deliver faster data rates and support a wider variety of connected devices.