5G connections are projected to rise to nearly 9 billion by 2030, accounting for 60% of all wireless connections globally
In sum – what to know:
2.6B global 5G connections – 37% annual growth puts 5G on track to reach nearly 9B connections by 2030, covering 60% of all wireless subscriptions.
North America leads adoption and data use – 339M connections and 111 GB monthly average consumption per user, outpacing every other region.
IoT adoption momentum – 3.8B connections globally, projected to hit 5B by 2030, with manufacturing, logistics, energy, and healthcare among the top sectors.
Global 5G connections passed 2.6 billion in at the end of Q2 2025, up 37% year-over-year, according to recent data from 5G Americas and Omdia.
The figure is projected to rise to nearly 9 billion by 2030, accounting for 60% of all wireless connections globally.
5G Americas noted that North America continues to lead in adoption and usage. The region reached 339 million connections — covering 88% of its population — and is expected to exceed full coverage before the end of 2025. Users there consumed 43 million terabytes of mobile data in the second quarter, averaging 111 GB each month, almost double the rate in Oceania, Eastern and South Eastern Asia.
“These latest numbers show 5G’s extraordinary momentum worldwide, but particularly in North America where both adoption and data usage are setting the pace,” said Viet Nguyen, president of 5G Americas.
Kristin Paulin, principal analyst at Omdia, noted that 5G is “entering a new phase as the backbone for IoT and digital transformation,” as networks extend into manufacturing, logistics, energy and healthcare.
Global data use climbed 15% year-over-year in Q2 2025 to 384 million terabytes, mainly driven by streaming, gaming, and industrial digitalization. Meanwhile, IoT connections rose to 3.8 billion and are forecast to reach 5 billion by 2030.
As of mid-September, there were 373 live 5G networks worldwide as well as 708 LTE deployments. North America accounted for 18 networks in each category.
In July, 5G Americas released a new white paper, named “5G-Advanced Overview,” detailing how the next phase of 5G — known as 5G-Advanced — is set to revolutionize wireless connectivity and pave the way toward future 6G systems.
The 5G Americas report outlines key advancements in the 3GPP Releases 18 through 20, with a strong focus on AI-native networks, energy efficiency and support for emerging applications like extended reality (XR) and industrial IoT.
