As different service providers make progress in setting up the 5G technology infrastructure, the coverage is projected to keep growing significantly. With the growth, more than half of the global population is expected to have access to revolutionary technology.
Data presented by Bankr indicates that the global 5G network coverage will grow by 253.84% in 2025 reaching about 4.1 billion people. Estimates indicate that the figure will be about 53% of the global population.
As of 2020, about 15% of the world population, or 1.17 billion people will have access to the technology. By next year, about 25% of the global population at 1.95 billion will have 5G coverage.
With the more realization of 5G technology’s capability, there is continued momentum to upgrade from 4G with global uptake set to continue. The 5G coverage build-out can be divided into radio deployments of new bands in the sub-6GHz range, deployments in millimeter-wave frequency bands, and deployments in existing LTE bands.
Drivers of the 5G technology
The growth of the 5G technology is driven by several aspects mainly led by the increasing internet traffic that has come with a rise in the internet of things (IoT). The surge calls for a resilient network and 5G has the potential of accommodating the growing demand. There is also a growing demand for high-speed mobile broadband that 5G can handle.
5G builds on the 4G coverage by introducing low latency, high speed, and enabling high data-intensive applications to perform efficiently. As a result, the 5G network can handle a massive number of devices compared to the current widely used 4G LTE. For example, the peak download speeds of a 5G network of about 20 gigabits per second can handle a wide range of IoT applications in the healthcare, energy, education, and transportation industries.
Overall, 5G’s combination of speed, responsiveness, and reach has the potential to unlock the full capabilities of other trends in technology. The attributes are impressive to consumers and service providers will continue working to cash in on the demand in the coming years.
The over one billion access to 5G coverage in 2020 is a culmination of a joint clear consensus on the 5G network by major players in recent years. The coverage is significant however, it is being driven by a select few regions in Asia, the US, and Europe. Other regions are still building the infrastructure to accommodate the technology. Notably, Asia is a current leader in 5G after undergoing a rapid migration in mobile broadband networks and smartphones setting the perfect ground for 5G adoption.
Other regions like the US are catching up with the government proposing new policies to ensure all citizens are covered by the network. Recently, lawmakers have been keen to ensure local service providers are taking the lead in rolling out 5G technology. Lawmakers are backing a $3.2 billion proposal for an emergency broadband benefit for low-income Americans. Additionally, the lawmakers are also seeking to replace telecom equipment from China’s Huawei and ZTE. Huawei is a current leader in 5G technology.
Challenges to rolling out 5G technology
Although the deployment of 5G faces various challenges, service providers have made progress in addressing major issues like access to the spectrum. The network requires access to several spectrum bands with different attributes. Spectrum is the radio waves allocated to mobile operators to transmit data. Limited access to different spectrum bands in different locations has been for the slow uptake in some regions.
Furthermore, the cost of setting up frameworks to back faster data is high. It is worth noting that the current telecom infrastructure needs to be upgraded and expanded. Some telecom companies might take time to set up the infrastructure since some don’t plan to monetize the technology soon.
Justin is an editor, writer, and a downhill fan. He spent many years writing about banking, finances, blockchain, and digital assets-related news. He strives to serve the untold stories for the readers.