5G connections are forecasted to represent 12% of total mobile connections in Latin America by 2025, according to a recent report by industry body GSMA.
The report showed that overall 5G connections in the region are expected to reach 86 million by that time.
The report stated that by 2025, some countries will be above the regional average, with Brazil standing out with a projection of 20%.
However, GSMA noted that 4G technology will continue to dominate the mobile industry in Latin America in the short term, accounting for almost 70% of total connections by the end of 2025.
Regarding the outlook of 5G for the region, GSMA forecast that 5G will represent 14% of mobile connections in countries such as Mexico and Chile, while 5G penetration in Argentina will reach 11% by the end of 2025.
In other markets such as Peru and Colombia, the penetration of 5G in the overall mobile base by end-2025 will reach 7% and 4% respectively.
The GSMA report also stated that there are currently live 5G networks in Brazil, Colombia and Peru, with planned deployments in Argentina, Chile, Dominican Republic, Mexico and Uruguay.
“In Latin America, 5G is still at a nascent stage of development as operators have largely focused on migrating 2G and 3G customers to 4G networks. 4G adoption is still rising in the region and is not expected to peak until 2024. That said, operators in a handful of countries have rolled out 5G services, including FWA, using existing spectrum. In Brazil, Claro and Telefónica’s 5G networks now serve 15 cities and 8 cities, respectively, while Claro Peru has expanded its 5G coverage to 19 districts in the Lima metropolitan area and two other provinces,” GSMA said.
“There will be a significant uptick in 5G activities in the coming years as spectrum auctions in major markets such as Argentina, Brazil, Colombia and Mexico begin to take place. In the meantime, mobile operators, governments, network vendors and other ecosystem players have begun laying the groundwork for the 5G era through investments in accompanying infrastructure, such as fiber, and partnerships to trial and develop new applications,” GSMA added.
The report also highlighted that the number of unique mobile subscribers in Latin America will reach nearly 450 million by the end of 2021, increasing to 485 million by 2025. Around half of new subscribers will come from Brazil and Mexico during this period.
Between 2020 and 2025, mobile operators in Latin America will invest more than $73 billion in their networks, with increasing investments in future 5G networks.
“Early open RAN trials and deployments are underway in Argentina, Brazil and Colombia, as operators look to reduce capex and extend network coverage. Virtualisation investments are also a high priority. Operators have been moving to virtualised core functions for years, but 5G represents an opportunity to move this transformation further forward.”
