Ericsson predicts massive 5G scale-up in Western Europe

Ericsson’s new Mobility Report forecasts one billion 5G contracts by the end of the year. Their research charts the development of the global mobile market and predicts how Western Europe currently lags behind in the race to adopt the latest mobile standard, could however catch up by 2028.

Energy efficiency and the reduction of environmental impact are also high on the list of priorities for mobile network operators. This applies to business applications as well as to the consumer sector. A new study leaves no doubt that the market as a whole will increase. Ericsson’s new Mobility Report forecasts one billion 5G contracts by the end of the year – with North America (35 percent), Northeast Asia (34 percent) and the Gulf Cooperation Council region (20 percent) currently leading the way ahead of Western Europe (11 percent).

Within Western Europe, the number of 5G contracts grew strongly this year, from 32 million in 2021 to a projected 63 million by the end of 2022. The number of 5G contracts in Western Europe is expected to reach almost 150 million by the end of 2023. Furthermore, market penetration will reach 88 percent by the end of 2028 (2nd place, just behind North America with 91 percent).

“Mobile network operators worldwide are continuing to roll out 5G infrastructure at the same time that momentum for fixed wireless access is increasing”

Fredrik Jejdling, Executive Vice President and Head of Networks at Ericsson

In addition to the regional 5G forecasts, the Ericsson Mobility Report also includes information on market observations such as trends and focus topics. Connecting homes via fixed wireless access (FWA) – an alternative to fixed wireless access. With this technology’s rapid increase in popularity, it is expected to connect more than 300 million homes worldwide by 2028 – with 80 percent of these connections using 5G as the transmission technology. Currently, FWA connects around 100 million users across different mobile standards.

5G infrastructure being rolled out worldwide

Fredrik Jejdling, Executive Vice President and Head of Networks at Ericsson, commented: “Mobile network operators worldwide are continuing to roll out 5G infrastructure at the same time that momentum for fixed wireless access is increasing.” He added, that in addition, global data traffic on mobile networks is doubling virtually every two years. “As described in this issue of the Ericsson Mobility Report, network operators are taking steps to deploy the latest generation of energy-efficient mobile hardware and software, increase the use of renewable energy sources, and operate site infrastructure intelligently to reduce environmental impact, Jejdling concluded.”

Their second point of focus is the sustainable construction and operation of mobile networks. According to the report, the telecommunications sector plays a key role in achieving global sustainability goals, not only by reducing its own emissions but also by digitizing a range of services and entire industries. However, to simultaneously reduce its impact on the environment, growing data traffic ought to be managed through intelligent network modernization combined with a balanced approach to network performance.

To read the entire Ericsson Mobility Report, click here.