In the latest Ericsson Mobility Report we get a summarized view and forecasts about the world-wide 5G evolvement and the future of the telecom industry over the years to come. We’ve gathered some short notes and thoughts about the Ericsson Mobility Report (2022-11) here. 

Key insights:

• 19 GB = That’s the average data consumption per smartphone expected to exceed per month in 2023.  
• 300 million = That’s the number of FWA connections that are projected in 2028 
• 5 billion = That’s the forecast of 5G mobile subscriptions in 2028.  
• 80 % = That’s the percentage of global mobile network traffic that video is expected to account for in 2028.  
• 38 % = That’s the increase of mobile traffic from Q3 2021 to Q3 2022 

The global mobile network data traffic is almost doubling every two years and has since Q3 2021 increased by around 38% compared to Q1 2022. By the end of 2022, 5G subscriptions are expected to reach 1 billion, and more smart 5G devices with additional capabilities are expected in the market during 2023. Looking ahead to 2028 the assumption is that 5G subscriptions will pass 5 billion and Fixed Wireless Access (FWA) connections will reach 300 million, where 5G will account for almost 80 % of the FWA connections. 

With a global view in mind – 5G is live in all regions and 228 service providers have launched 5G services today, with over 700 units of 5G smartphone models announced or launched commercially. But how service providers are choosing to roll out varies depending on many local factors. For example, 5G mid-band population coverage — which is essential for an optimal 5G service offering and user experience — is deployed at different paces in different markets. It has reached 25 % population coverage globally, but markets like the US have already reached 80 %. 

There are tons of more valuable information in the report, but we can conclude that 5G is evolving and are expected to enable a whole new era of services, applications and experiences in a more rapid pace than the transformation from 3G to 4G.