Omdia: 5G to surpass 1.3 billion connections in 2022

Maria Rua Aguete

The number of 5G connections is set to surpass 1 billion this year, says research house Omdia. 

Speaking at the 5G Forum in Seville, Omdia senior research director, media and entertainment, Maria Rua Aguete told attendees that 540 million 5G connections were reached at the end of 2021 with the total set to pass 1.3 billion in 2022.

She noted that 5G will account for almost 60% of global mobile service revenues in 2026, coming from 40% of subscriptions by volume.

The research house expects more 5G subscriptions to be added in 2022 than in three years since the technology was launched commercially in 2019.

The analyst commented: “Although 5G is still in its infancy, representing just 5% of all mobile connections, 5G mobile service revenues are set for rapid growth over the coming few years, driven by rapid adoption of 5G devices and higher spending by 5G customers as they increase their usage of data and digital services.

We are expecting that by 2026 40 % of all mobile subscriptions will be 5G, totalling 4.8bn. Furthermore, annual 5G mobile service revenues are expected to reach US$540.01bn worldwide by 2026, representing 60% of global mobile revenues.

The growth in 5G mobile service revenues will drive overall mobile service revenues to $911.61bn globally in 2026, up from $798.57bn in 2019.”

The research also examines the global state of play, with China leading the way in 2021 with 357 million 5G subscribers. This is followed by the USA, Japan and South Korea with the UK in fifth place with more than 9 million 5G connections.

In terms of saturation however, South Korea is in the lead with more than 40% of its population having a 5G connection. Hong Kong is at 39% and China is at 30 %. The UK is some way behind, with only 8% of the population having a 5G connection.

Omdia adds that gaming, streaming video, AR and VR are some of the key drivers for consumers to take 5G plans.