According to the GSMA, 5G networks will cover 40% of the global population by that year
5G connections are expected to reach 1.4 billion connections by 2025, representing over 15% of the global mobile market, according to a new study by the GSMA.
The report highlights how 5G networks, artificial intelligence (AI), smart platforms and the internet of things (IoT) are set to transform the lives of citizens and businesses around the world.
The telecommunications industry association said that mobile operators are already making great strides in the rollout and delivery of 5G networks, with commercial networks in the U.S., South Korea, United Arab Emirates and China expected from this year. GSMA Intelligence expects that 5G networks will cover 40% of the global population by 2025, or approximately 2.7 billion people.
“The combination of 5G, the IoT, big data and AI will impact almost every aspect of our daily lives, from the way we consume entertainment to the way in which we learn and interact with colleagues – all underpinned by ubiquitous hyper-connectivity,” said Mats Granryd, director general of the GSMA. “The fusion of these transformative technologies will drive fundamental changes and intelligently connect everyone and everything to better future.”
The report also highlights how 5G networks will make digital entertainment richer and more social, delivering augmented reality and virtual reality applications for gaming and TV. The new technology is also expected to make live events such as sports and concerts more engaging, by enabling experiences such as live 360-degree views from anywhere in the venue and letting viewers watch on VR headsets from their homes. Gaming is expected to become more interactive and social with multiple players, realistic, high-definition graphics and fast internet speeds, meaning gamers can play games anywhere without the cost or inconvenience of carrying specialized hardware, the GSMA said.
5G is also set to have a positive impact in other sectors such as transportation, industrial environments and agriculture, the industry body said.
In the transport segment, according to the GSMA, 5G networks will enable the use of AI systems to instruct vehicles when to slow down and when to accelerate, making roads safer and easing congestion. AI systems will collate road and vehicular data, including weather, road works and congestion, to give road-users real-time advice on their route, the GSMA said. 5G combined with the IoT and AI will enable the capture of information in real-time, enabling the remote control of machinery and factory-wide connectivity will increase efficiencies.
5G are also anticipated to help farmers monitor and boost yields and crop quality by precisely monitoring soil and weather conditions to tailor the use of pesticides and fertilizers.
In related news, the GSMA announced that mobile IoT networks are now available in 50 markets around the world, after 94 launches by 50 different mobile operators across both LTE-M and NB-IoT.
Coverage is expected to reach approximately 93% of the world’s largest IoT markets by the second quarter of 2019. According to GSMA Intelligence forecasts, by 2025 there will be 3.5 billion cellular IoT connections, including 1.9 billion licensed low-power wide-area connections.
