New statistics from GSMA Intelligence reveal that 5G connections are set to account for more than half (51%) of all mobile connections by 2029, increasing to 56% by the close of the decade. This marks 5G as the leading connectivity technology. With the fastest rollout among mobile generations, 5G surpassed one billion connections by the end of 2022, escalating to 1.6 billion by the end of 2023, and is projected to reach 5.5 billion by 2030.
As of January 2024, 261 operators across 101 countries have launched commercial 5G services, with over 90 operators from 64 markets committed to future rollouts. Among the 261 commercial 5G services, 47 are delivered through 5G Standalone (SA) networks, with an additional 89 deployments planned in the near term. These deployments are expected to benefit from network slicing, ultra-reliable low-latency communications, and the simplified 5G SA network architecture.
The expansion of 5G SA networks and enhanced support for private and dedicated networks are set to support a vast number of connected devices, aiding in the realisation of the global IoT vision for enterprises. Current data from GSMAi indicates the enterprise segment now encompasses 10.7 billion IoT connections, slightly surpassing the 10.5 billion consumer connections. This momentum is anticipated to continue, with enterprise connections expected to more than double to 38.5 billion by 2030. Smart buildings and smart manufacturing are projected to represent 34% and 16% of total enterprise connections, respectively.
The introduction of 5G-Advanced with 3GPP Release 18 marks another significant milestone in IoT delivery for 5G, expected to spur new 5G investments from 2024 into 2025. GSMAi data reveals that over half of operators plan to start deploying 5G-Advanced within a year of its commercial availability, driven by key use cases such as 5G multicast services and low-cost IoT support.
Mobile data traffic is predicted to increase fourfold by 2030, with expansions in 5G coverage and capacity playing a crucial role. It is estimated that monthly global mobile data traffic per connection will grow from 12.8GB in 2023 to 47.9GB in 2030.
The rising use of Generative AI – with 56% of operators currently testing applications – is also expected to contribute to this growth. Applications driving this increase include GenAI-enabled chatbots for customer service and the continued expansion of AI-generated video and music content.
Peter Jarich, Head of GSMAi, commented: “The early success of 5G, driven by enhanced mobile broadband and related network traffic requirements, is now extending beyond consumer needs. Opportunities are emerging in areas such as API monetisation and 5G RedCap for enterprise IoT, supported by 5G-Advanced and 5G SA networks. 5G SA fulfils 5G’s initial promise, especially in areas like slicing, low-latency, and massive IoT capabilities that meet enterprise service needs. 5G-Advanced will further enhance these capabilities.”
Revenue realisation: Operators are discovering new revenue streams through new use cases, necessitating a focus on 5G services billing. The availability of more 5G SA networks has led to the development of a new Billing and Charging Evolution (BCE) standard by the GSMA and its members, including AT&T, Deutsche Telekom, Swisscom, and Vodafone. The BCE Standard simplifies the charging model and is essential for operators implementing 5G SA networks to derive value from wholesale roaming settlement in 5G, LTE, and the operational efficiency of IoT.
Commercialising network APIs: Exposing network APIs offers operators a new avenue to maximise returns on 5G investments and generate revenue beyond traditional connectivity services. The GSMA Open Gateway initiative now enables operators to utilise new capabilities built into 5G networks. Since its launch, 47 mobile operator groups, representing 239 mobile networks and 65% of global connections, have committed to exposing their network APIs via CAMARA, with 94 APIs now commercially available to enterprise developers worldwide.
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