The proportion of mobile subscriptions that are 5G increased from one-quarter at the end of 2024 to one-third in 2025. 5G mid-band is ideal for providing both capacity and coverage, and therefore enhancing user experience, with population coverage expected to reach 45 percent globally outside mainland China during 2025.Mobile network data traffic grew 20 percent between Q3 2024 and Q3 2025, slightly more than expected. Looking to the next generation, the 6G standardisation process has already begun. We expect the first commercial launches to be driven by leading service providers in front-runner markets. AI-native 6G networks, together with new capabilities such as integrated sensing and communication (ISAC), will enable entirely new use cases and classes of devices. These advances will unlock new business opportunities for service providers.

5G to account for one-third of mobile subscriptions in 2025.

During the third quarter of 2025, 162 million 5G subscriptions were added, bringing the total to almost 2.8 billion.

5G subscription uptake continues apace and the total is expected to reach 2.9 billion at the end of 2025, accounting for one-third of all mobile subscriptions. The highest 5G subscription penetration is expected to be in North America with 79 percent, followed by North East Asia at 61 percent and Western Europe and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries, both at 55 percent. Globally, 5G is anticipated to overtake 4G as the dominant mobile access technology by subscription by the end of 2027, nine years after launch.

Around 360 service providers have now launched commercial 5G services, and more than 90 of those have launched or soft-launched 5G standalone (SA).

As subscribers migrate to 5G, the number of 4G subscriptions continues to decline. During the third quarter, 4G subscriptions declined by 65 million, bringing the total below 4.8 billion. 3G subscriptions declined by 22 million during the same period, while 2G subscriptions dropped by 29 million.

2G and 3G network sunsetting continues around the world. The phasing out of 3G networks is anticipated to happen more quickly than that of 2G in the coming years, but the timeline for this transition varies based on country and service provider.

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Ericsson Mobility Report November 2025

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5G subscriptions are growing apace, accounting for over one-quarter of total mobile subscriptions at the end of 2024. 5G mid-band population coverage continues to grow, though it varies between global regions, only recently passing 50 percent coverage in Europe. 5G mid-band is ideal for providing both capacity and coverage, and therefore enhancing user experience. Mobile network data traffic continues to grow, but with a declining year-on-year growth rate, resulting in a forecast CAGR of 17 percent through 2030. As 5G evolves, service providers are increasingly exploring innovative use cases and new monetization opportunities by offering differentiated connectivity services.

5G to account for one-third of mobile subscriptions in 2025

During the first quarter of 2025, 145 million 5G subscriptions were added, bringing the total to just above 2.4 billion.

5G subscription uptake continues apace and is expected to reach close to 2.9 billion at the end of 2025, accounting for one-third of all mobile subscriptions at that time. The number of 4G subscriptions continues to decline as subscribers migrate to 5G.

4G declined by 55 million during the first quarter of 2025, bringing the total to just below 4.9 billion. 3G subscriptions declined by 19 million during the quarter, while 2G subscriptions dropped by 30 million. 2G and 3G network sunsetting continues around the world. The phasing out of 3G networks is anticipated to happen more quickly than that of 2G in the coming years, but the timeline for this transition varies based on country and service provider.

At the end of 2024, the number of 5G subscriptions reached 2.3 billion globally, equaling a penetration of around 27 percent. The highest 5G subscriptions penetration was in North America at 71 percent, followed by North East Asia at 52 percent, the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries at 45 percent and Western Europe at 41 percent. 5G is anticipated to overtake 4G as the dominant mobile access technology by subscription in 2027, nine years after launch.

More than 340 service providers have now launched commercial 5G services, and around 70 have deployed or launched 5G standalone (SA).

Ericsson Mobility Report June 2025

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RedCap – expanding the 5G device ecosystem for consumers and industries.

For more on this topic also check out the Ericsson blog post HERE covering a discussion on standardisation aspects for Rel-17 RedCap and Rel-18 eRedCap.

Since the number of personal smartphone subscriptions is limited by the size of the human population, the number of Internet of Things (IoT) devices is predicted to have a stronger growth than smartphone subscriptions in the coming years. The IoT segment served by cellular networks can be divided into Massive IoT, Broadband IoT, Critical IoT, and Industrial Automation IoT, where Broadband IoT is forecasted to constitute 60 percent of the cellular IoT connections by the end of 2028. Broadband IoT includes both wide- area and local-area use cases that require higher throughput, lower latency, and larger data volumes than what Massive IoT technologies can support. These use cases include, for example, smart wearables and industrial sensors. In the past, Broadband IoT use cases were often served by 4G long-term evolution (LTE) device categories 1 and 4. The device complexity, and hence the device cost, has so far been too high for 5G New Radio (NR) to be suited to Broadband IoT, which motivated the introduction of reduced capability (RedCap) 5G NR devices in 3GPP Release 17.

Figure 1 illustrates different 4G/5G device types. At the low end, there is the NB-IoT device category (Cat-NB1) and the LTE-M device category (Cat-M1), which both support relatively low data rates suitable for Massive IoT use cases. Since 3GPP Release 15, both NB-IoT and LTE-M fulfill the 5G massive machine-type communications (mMTC) requirements and are therefore components of both 4G and 5G. At the high end, both LTE and NR have device types for high peak rates for demanding use cases. In between the low and the high end, LTE offers several device categories (that is, Cat-1/2/3/4), and RedCap provides corresponding NR-based device types for this mid-range segment.

Figure 1

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5G-RedCap – Ericsson Whitepaper

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The FWA handbook of 2025 presents eight actionable insights into the 5G momentum, with more than one billion opportunities to close the digital divide. Its condensed chapters cover offering speed-tiered plans, benefiting from the accelerating CPE ecosystem, network evolution, and more. In the 2025 edition, Ericsson has expanded and refined its material, adding two insights on consumer behaviour and capital allocation.

Insight #1: FWA momentum: Unlocking economies of scale
Insight #2: 5G FWA: Matching fiber in consumer satisfaction
Insight #3: Monetization roadmap: From best effort to premium FWA
Insight #4: FWA: The key to closing the Digital Divide
Insight #5: Optimizing CAPEX recipe: Perfect blend of fiber and FWA
Insight #6: Boost FWA adoption with integrated business processes
Insight #7: Multiple CPE choices enable a variety of offerings
Insight #8: Premium experiences powered by 5G Advanced

Download at this link.

https://www.ericsson.com/en/reports-and-papers/further-insights/fwa-insights

© 2025

Ericsson Fixed Wireless Access Handbook 2025

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5G is expected to become the dominant mobile access technology by subscription before the end of the forecast period. Although 5G population coverage is growing, 5G mid-band is only deployed in around 25 percent of all sites globally outside of mainland China. The 5G mid-band spectrum provides a sweet spot between both coverage and capacity, while improving user experience, as shown by measurements from a leading service provider. As 5G matures, the focus for many service providers is expected to shift toward developing differentiated connectivity offerings.

Stronger outlook in Sub-Saharan Africa than expected. 5G subscriptions in Sub-Saharan Africa in 2029 are anticipated to exceed 320 million, accounting for 28 percent of all mobile subscriptions at that time. This has been adjusted upward compared to our previous report, in line with a more positive outlook for the region, supported by spectrum releases in low- and mid-bands and more affordable devices.

At the end of 2023, North America had the highest 5G subscription penetration globally at 59 percent. In North East Asia, penetration reached 41 percent, followed by the GCC countries at 34 percent and Western Europe at 26 percent. 5G subscriptions increased by 160 million during the first quarter of 2024, to total 1.7 billion. Subscriptions for 4G now total 5.2 billion, falling by 26 million during Q1 2024. 4G subscriptions are projected to continue declining to around 3 billion by the end of 2029, as subscribers continue to migrate to 5G. During the first quarter, 3G subscriptions declined by 37 million, while 2G subscriptions dropped by 41 million. 2G and 3G network sunsetting continues around the world. The timeline for this transition varies based on the country and service provider, but the phase-out of 3G networks is anticipated to happen more quickly than for 2G in the coming years. For example, an overwhelming majority of service providers in Europe are currently shutting down 3G networks to refarm spectrum for use with 4G and 5G, while maintaining 2G for legacy IoT services. Around 300 service providers have now launched commercial 5G services, and around 50 have deployed or launched 5G standalone (SA).2

Ericsson Mobility Report June 2024

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Download here.

How fixed wireless access for households capture the connectivity market.

Interest in Fixed Wireless Access for households as a preferred connectivity is a growth opportunity for service providers. Five key findings for capturing that opportunity have been revealed by Ericsson ConsumerLab research.

This Ericsson ConsumerLab study explores the current stage of home broadband internet and delves into the status of Fixed Wireless Access connectivity for households with both 4G and 5G. It examines consumer connectivity needs, satisfaction with existing broadband solutions and future demands and potential, as well as perceptions and views on Fixed Wireless Access to fulfil these requirements.

Methodology
This Ericsson ConsumerLab study explores the current stage of home broadband internet and delves into the status of Fixed Wireless Access connectivity for households with both 4G and 5G. It examines consumer connectivity needs, satisfaction with existing broadband solutions and future demands and potential, as well as perceptions and views on FWA to fulfill these requirements. Unless specified, when FWA is mentioned in the study it refers to both 4G and 5G FWA households.

Spanning 19 countries, this research is unique in its scale, diversity and comprehensive approach to understanding households’ internet connectivity. It focuses on how various stages of home broadband internet development across different markets influence consumer choices and perceptions, emphasizing the importance of diversity and variety of needs across and within each of these markets. The FWA opportunity is analyzed within the unique home broadband internet context in each market.

Capturing the 5G FWA opportunity: Ericsson white paper © Ericsson 2024

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Continued strong uptake of 5G, with around 600 million new subscriptions added globally during 2023, shows that demand for high-performance connectivity remains resilient in the face of ongoing economic challenges and geopolitical unrest in some markets.

The majority of networks deployed so far are 5G non-standalone, but an increasing number of communications service providers are deploying 5G standalone (SA). It offers greater possibilities to support new and more demanding use cases for both consumers and enterprises. Only with standalone architecture can 5G use cases requiring time-bound latency, higher speeds, capacity or benefits from network slicing be achieved. To date, more than 40 service providers have deployed or launched 5G

SA in public networks.

5G deployment is far from complete. Further densification of 5G mid-band sites is needed for the full 5G experience. By the end of 2023, it’s estimated that 5G mid-band will be deployed in around 30 percent of existing 4G sites globally.

In this edition of the Ericsson Mobility Report, we take a closer look at a large-scale deployment of mid-band 5G SA in India, where the service provider aims to capture the new business opportunities 5G offers for both consumers and enterprises.

The ongoing surge in data traffic remains a strong driver of demand for mobile networks. Most traffic is generated indoors, where people typically spend the majority of their time. There is,

however, a growing need to extend 5G mid-band coverage indoors to ensure a comprehensive 5G experience. This edition explores how demand for indoor connectivity drives the need for enhanced network performance. In the manufacturing industry, wireless connectivity is becoming a key determinant of production-line output, as factory processes cannot withstand intermittent network delays or areas with no coverage. We explore this topic by examining how 5G enables the agility required to support rapid changes and the reallocation of factory resources in modern gigafactories and green steel plants.

Ericsson Mobility-Report November 2023

Ericsson Mobility-Report November 2023

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In many of my recent interactions with communications service providers, sustainability and revenue growth have been the common themes. In this report we have analyzed a number of current trends within our industry and explored ways in which service providers are turning 5G opportunities into revenues.

Around 230 5G networks are in commercial service today. And – with a growing 5G subscription base that has surpassed 1 billion – business fundamentals of the industry remain solid, despite macroeconomic and geopolitical challenges, as consumers prioritize mobile services. We can see early indications of revenue growth in advanced 5G markets with extensive coverage build-out and differentiated service offerings. Enhanced mobile broadband offers the fastest revenue opportunities for 5G, as it is an extension of service providers’ existing business, relying on the same business models and processes. Many service providers are updating their charging models and shifting customers to new, 5G-adapted subscriptions. The mobile broadband business will continue to comprise a significant part of service providers’ revenue in the foreseeable future, but it is not expected to drive long-term growth on its own.

Fixed Wireless Access (FWA) is one of the major early 5G use cases, particularly in regions with unserved or underserved broadband markets. The growth potential provided by FWA is especially attractive as it leverages mobile broadband assets to a large degree. Beyond the consumer business, there are growing 5G opportunities in enterprise and public sector applications across the world. 5G enables significant value for enterprises as private networks and wireless wide-area networks are now being deployed.

A very important aspect of 5G is that it also brings cost advantages and helps service providers to handle the data growth needed to drive future revenue. Upgrading existing 4G sites to 5G has the potential to realize increases of up to 10 times in capacity and to reduce energy consumption by more than 30 percent, offering the possibility to grow revenue and reduce costs while addressing sustainability.

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5G-Monetization – Ericsson Mobility Report

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The Emerging Market Opportunity for Cat-M1 in a 3 MHz Channel for Utility Broadband Networks

As utilities and smart grid vendors continue to address the challenges of grid modernization, 3GPP LTE low power wide-area (LPWA) technologies will play a key role. While NB-IoT and Cat-M1 (also referred to LTE-M or Cat-M) are both viable alternatives for today’s utility networks, Cat-M1 is becoming increasingly important due to the ability to deliver faster data rates (as compared to NB-IoT) as well as the low latency required for smart meters, distributed automation, and other grid modernization applications. Cat-M1 is widely supported in the 5 MHz ecosystem today. Demand for Cat-M1 in-band on a 3 MHz LTE channel is accelerating driven by expanding utility applications. Interviews with Anterix Ecosystem members (including chipset, modem, and device vendors) and a private LTE market-sizing analysis by Harbor Research both identified a strong market opportunity for Cat-M1 in private LTE networks for utilities.

Market Opportunity for Cat-M1 – Anterix & Ericsson paper

Anterix

Anterix is focused on delivering transformative broadband that enables the modernization of critical infrastructure for the energy, transportation, logistics and other sectors of our economy. As the largest of licensed spectrum in the 900 MHz band (896-901/935-940 MHz) throughout the contiguous United States, plus Hawaii, Alaska, and Puerto Rico, we are uniquely positioned to enable the private LTE solutions that support secure, resilient, and customer-controlled operations. Anterix enables nextgeneration communications platforms that support grid modernization and cybersecurity strategies. Our 900 MHz spectrum supports secure, reliable, cost effective, and customized LTE solutions.

Ericsson

Ericsson enables communications service providers and enterprises to capture the full value of connectivity. The company’s portfolio spans the following business areas: Networks, Cloud Software and Services, Enterprise Wireless Solutions, Global Communications Platform, and Technologies and New Businesses. It is designed to help our customers go digital, increase efficiency and find new revenue streams. Ericsson’s innovation investments have delivered the benefits of mobility and mobile broadband to billions of people globally. Ericsson stock is listed on Nasdaq Stockholm and on Nasdaq New York.

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By the end of 2022, 5G subscriptions are expected to reach 1 billion.
Despite a weaker economy and geopolitical uncertainties, service providers continue to deploy 5G, with 228 having already launched commercial 5G services globally. Deployment of 5G standalone (SA) networks also continues, with around

35 service providers having deployed
or launched 5G SA in public networks.1 The most common 5G services launched by service providers for consumers are enhanced mobile broadband (eMBB), Fixed Wireless Access (FWA), gaming and some AR/VR-based services.

Strong 5G subscription growth

5G subscriptions2 grew by 110 million during the third quarter to around 870 million, and that number is expected to reach 1 billion
by the end of 2022. North America and North East Asia are expected to have the highest 5G subscription penetration by the end of 2022 at around 35 percent, followed by the Gulf Cooperation Council countries at 20 percent and Western Europe at

11 percent. In 2028, it is projected that North America will have the highest 5G penetration at 91 percent, followed by Western Europe at 88 percent.

By the end of 2028, 5 billion 5G subscriptions are forecast globally, accounting for 55 percent of all mobile subscriptions. 5G subscription uptake is faster than that of 4G following its launch in 2009, with 5G expected to reach 1 billion subscriptions 2 years sooner than 4G. Key factors include the timely availability of
devices from several vendors, with prices falling faster than for 4G, and China’s large, early 5G deployments. 5G will become the dominant mobile access technology by subscriptions in 2027.

Subscriptions for 4G continue to increase, growing by 41 million during Q3 2022
to around 5 billion. 4G subscriptions are projected to peak at 5.2 billion by the end of 2022, then decline to around 3.6 billion by the end of 2028 as subscribers migrate to 5G.

During the quarter, 3G subscriptions declined by 41 million, while GSM/EDGE-only subscriptions dropped by 44 million and other technologies3 decreased by about 6 million.

During the quarter, China had the most net additions (+15 million), followed by Nigeria (+5 million) and Indonesia (+4 million).

Ericsson Mobility-Report November 2022

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