Ericsson, a Swedish multinational telecommunications company predicted that the 5G would reach 4.4 billion by 2027 globally.

Ericsson disclosed this in the latest edition of its mobility report released on Tuesday.

It also predicted that with current global trends, 5G subscription would pass the one billion milestone by the end of 2022.

The report showed that in global terms, 5G is forecasted to account for almost half of all subscriptions by 2027, topping 4.4 billion subscriptions.

It said 2027 timeline also included projections that 5G would account for 82 per cent of subscriptions in Western Europe; 80 per cent in the Gulf Cooperation Council region and 74 per cent in North-East Asia.

The report explained that in India, where 5G deployments had yet to begin, 5G was expected to account for nearly 40 per cent of all subscriptions by 2027.

Ericsson also disclosed that the traffic growth was driven by increased smartphone and mobile broadband usage, as well as the digitalisation of society and industries.

It said recent statistics and forecasts highlighted the strong demand for data connectivity and digital services had and would have, despite the COVID-19 pandemic and global uncertainties.

It further mentioned that 700 million people were becoming new mobile broadband subscribers every year. The report also showed that 5G was scaling faster than all previous mobile technology generations.

The report also showed that about a quarter of the world’s population currently had access to 5G coverage, with the company stating that around 70 million 5G subscriptions were added during the first quarter of 2022 alone. It declared that by 2027, about three-quarters of the world’s population would be able to access 5G.

“The mobility report confirms 5G as the fastest growing mobile technology generation ever, and Ericsson is playing a key role in making it happen,” said Fredrik Jejdling, Ericsson’s executive vice president and head of networks. “We work every day with our customers and ecosystem partners around the world to ensure that millions of people, enterprises, industries, and societies enjoy the benefits of 5G connectivity as soon as possible.”

(NAN)