Global mobile subscriptions growing around 5 per cent y-o-y

The Ericsson Mobility Report forecasts that 5G mobile subscriptions will reach 150 million by 2021. Global mobile subscriptions are growing around 5 per cent year-on-year. South Korea, Japan, China and the US are predicted to lead with the first-and the fastest-5G subscription uptake.

5G will connect new types of devices, enabling new use cases related to the Internet of Things (IoT); the transition will open up new industries and verticals to ICT transformation. The report reveals a significant increase in mobile video consumption, which is driving around six times higher traffic volumes per smartphone in North America and Europe (2015 to 2021).

North America data traffic per active smartphone will grow from 3.8 to 22 GB per month by 2021; in Western Europe, the increase is from 2 to 18 GB per month. With 20 new mobile broadband subscriptions activated every second, the global increase in mobile subscriptions is another clear driver for data traffic growth.