5G to reach 1.5 billion connections globally by 2025

5G is set to reach 1.5 billion connections globally by 2025 for an annual average growth of 150% over the next six years, according to a new study by Juniper Research.

The technology attracted 5 million subscribers by the end of 2019, with aggressive pricing strategies and increasing device support helping to drive adoption, the research firm said.

The US and South Korea are expected to be the fastest 5G adopters and are poised to make up 75% of all 5G subscribers by the end of 2020, Juniper Research added.

The two countries offered low-cost connectivity in a bid to rapidly migrate users to 5G networks, despite prolonging operators’ goals of securing a return on their 5G investments.

Conversely, regions such as Europe have focused on maximising early 5G revenue by establishing premium pricing over 4G, the research firm explained. In order to maximise 5G’s value proposition and justify the pricing, however, Juniper Research believes these areas should expand their geographical coverage.

Finally, Juniper Research expects that increasing the number of 5G-supporting devices will help further immediate 5G adoption, with early launches of fixed wireless access routers providing a platform for operators to launch broadband services that leverage 5G networks as a last mile solution.

“We expect 5G to be used for over 5 million broadband connections by the end of 2020. Operators will need to provide 5G whose bandwidth and latency matches or exceeds current internet services. Otherwise, they risk missing out on this valuable new revenue stream,” said Juniper Research Associate Analyst and research author Andrew Knighton.

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