How has the mobile network scenario and the use of cellular connections evolved? Ericsson photographing a decade of evolution with the tenth Ericsson Mobility Reportin which the company communicates various interesting data on the changes which we witnessed during the 1910s and in these first two years of the 1920s.
Ten years of mobile technology evolution in the Ericsson Mobility Report
Compared to 2011, today there are 5.5 billion more smartphone usersThere is 300 times data traffic on mobile networks, and the number of 4G network subscriptions increased from 9 million to approximately 4.7 billion. Many things have changed in the last ten years and many more will change in the future.
5G is certainly the biggest novelty today compared to 2011. The estimates speak of around 660 million 5G subscriptions by the end of the year and 23% of devices sold that support the new networks, with growth well above that achieved by 4G in the same period since its launch. There were 48 million new 4G subscriptions this year alone, but hey 98 million new 5G subscriptions, which is more than double, despite the fact that 4G is only just beginning to arrive in many parts of the world (especially in Asia and Africa) and is often cheaper for the user both in terms of subscription and the cost of the network. ‘device. 5G growth has exceeded all estimates in the 2015 report, which predicted just 150 million subscriptions for that year (but it must also be said that the acceleration of the deployment of next-generation networks was not expected at the time). era), arriving rather at 660 million total subscriptions.
Ericsson’s report, however, points out that the greatest growth in 5G is expected in the future. The company expects in 2027, 5G subscriptions will exceed those of 4G, reaching 4.4 billion out of a total of 8.9 billion; in Western Europe, they are expected to be 83% of total. Significant growth will come from Fixed Wireless Access (FWA) subscriptions, which by 2027 are expected to reach 230 million worldwide, with approximately 800 million people who will be able to benefit from it. There are currently around 88 million FWA connections.
The traffic generated by connections on cellular networks has grown exponentially, reaching its share 78 EB (exabytes or millions of terabytes) in the third quarter. To give an idea of the magnitude of the phenomenon, it was only generated in the quarter under review more traffic than all mobile traffic generated up to 2016 Put together. Growth is expected to continue at a dizzying pace, harnessing 370 BE in 2027.
IoT connections also continue to grow: currently, the most widespread technology is IoT Broadband (with 47% of connections expected by the end of the year), with 2G/3G (37%) and Massive IoT (16% including NB-IoT and Cat-M) to follow. By 2027, this latest technology is expected to surpass all others, reaching 51% of the market.
Fredrik JejdlingExecutive Vice President and Head of Networks at Ericsson, comments: “Mobile communication has had an incredible impact on society and businesses over the past decade. As we look to 2027, mobile networks will be more integral to the way we interact, live and work than ever before. Our latest Ericsson mobility report shows that the pace of change is accelerating and technology is playing a crucial role.”
The report is available at this address.