Ericsson, a Swedish telecommunications equipment maker, predicts global 5G subscribers will reach 1 billion by the end of 2022.
In the latest Ericsson Mobility Report, it is stated that this figure can be achieved because it is assisted by the high adoption of 5G in China and North America.
In fact, Ericsson predicted the 5G adoption rate would be 100 million higher, but they lowered their forecast due to the weakening global economy, and the uncertainty caused by Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
So far, 5G subscribers grew by 70 million during Q1 2022 to 620 million. Meanwhile, 4G subscribers grew by 70 million to 4.9 billion. According to Ericsson, the growth of 5G subscribers is the fastest compared to previous generations of telecommunications technology.
If Ericsson's prediction is correct, when 5G subscribers reach 1 billion this year, it means that the achievement is two years faster than the similar achievement by 4G. The reason is the number of new 4G subscribers can penetrate 1 billion in the 10th year since it was first released.
And Ericsson predicts the number of 5G subscribers will reach 4.4 billion in 2027. Meanwhile, 4G subscriber growth is expected to peak this year, and then decline as customers migrate to 5G.
However, it should be noted that Ericsson in the 2021 Ericsson Mobility Report predicts that the number of 4G subscribers will reach its peak in 2021.
"The new Ericsson Mobility Report proves that 5G is the fastest growing mobile technology, and Ericsson has an important role to play in making that happen," said Fredrik Jejdling, Executive VP and Head of Networks, Ericsson.
The report also mentions that there is an increasing role of Fixed Wireless Access (FWA) in providing broadband internet connections. Ericsson predicts that the number of FWA connections will cross 100 million by 2022, and that number will double by 2027, reaching 230 million.
Currently, according to Ericsson, broadband connections from IoT, both 4G and 5G, have overtaken 2G and 3G connections which connect the largest share of IoT devices connected to cellular networks, reaching 44% of all connections.