According to data provided by Omdia, from the third quarter of 2019 to the third quarter of 2020, the world added 225 million 5G users. This feat will take 4G LTE four years to achieve. As of December 2020, there are 229 million 5G users worldwide, an increase of 66% from the previous quarter. It is estimated that by the end of 2020, the world will reach 236 million.
Chris Pearson, President of 5G Americas, said: "The emergence of fast, low-latency 5G networks is an important moment when people are turning to remote work. This historic adjustment clearly shows that the requirements for social and physical distance have changed. The way we work, live and play, continuous mobile connection has become a necessity in life."
According to data from TeleGeography, overall, in the third quarter of 2020, another 29 5G networks will be launched, bringing the total number of 5G commercial networks worldwide to 143, and it is expected to reach 180 by the end of 2020.
In addition, according to Ericsson Mobile’s November 2020 report, the continuous growth of 5G-enabled devices is also a boon for customers and the industry. 69% of quality service providers have launched commercial 5G smartphones for their networks. The Global Mobile Suppliers Association (GSA) noted that 519 types of 5G mobile phones have been put on sale, of which 303 will be launched at the end of November 2020.
In addition to 5G, 4G LTE is also experiencing healthy growth, reaching 5.8 billion by the end of the third quarter of 2020, exceeding the year-end forecast of 5.73 billion US dollars. Among them, 506 million 4G LTE connections will come from North America, and 406 million connections will come from Latin America and the Caribbean.