“5G subscribers and data traffic will surge globally, and 6G will be commercialized in 2030.”


According to the latest 'Ericsson Mobility Report' published by global telecommunications equipment company Ericsson-LG, the number of 5G subscribers worldwide is expected to reach approximately 6.3 billion by 2030.

This corresponds to approximately 67% of all mobile subscribers, of which 60% are expected to use 5G Standalone (5G SA) mode.

The report predicted that 5G would account for 80% of mobile data traffic by 2030.

The increase in data traffic to date has been mainly driven by increased viewing of video content and smartphone subscribers.

As XR-type services including AR, VR, and mixed reality (MR) are introduced in the future, the traffic growth rate is likely to accelerate further.

5G midband coverage is expanding globally.

By the end of 2024, coverage in Europe is expected to reach 45%, India around 95%, and North America 90%.

As of now, there are about 320 telecommunications companies that have commercialized 5G services, but less than 20% of them have launched or built 5G SA.
/> In the report, Ericsson emphasized that 5G SA deployment and expansion of 5G mid-band sites are necessary to fully realize the potential of 5G.

Ericsson predicts the first commercial deployments of 6G will occur in 2030.

Currently, the ICT industry and academia are actively discussing and investing in 6G, starting with 5G SA and 5G Advanced.

6G is expected to become the foundation for connecting the physical world with the programmable virtual world through differentiated connectivity, AI and computing services, and spatial and timing data.

The report also covers Fixed Wireless Access (FWA).

The proportion of FWA carriers offering speed-based rate plans increased from 30% last year to 43% this year, showing the rapid growth of the FWA market.

Ericsson predicts that by the end of 2030, there will be around 350 million FWA connections worldwide, 80% of which will be 5G-based.

Generative AI is also attracting attention as a major driver of mobile traffic growth.

Generative AI is currently deployed in a variety of devices, including smartphones, laptops, and FWAs, and new applications and hyper-personalized content are expected to drive increased mobile traffic.

Network slicing using Quality On Demand (QoD) network APIs is also expected to be possible by 2025.

This report sheds light on the future direction and potential of 5G and 6G technologies and forecasts the future of the global communications industry.