5G to hit 5.6 billion subscribers in 2029, but 4G will remain dominant in three regions

The number of 5G subscriptions is expected to hit 5.6 billion worldwide by the end of 2029, when 5G will be the dominant network in all regions except for three. Globally, 5G is projected to account for 60% of all mobile subscriptions by the end of 2029, according to the latest Ericsson Mobility Report. It also will drive 75% of overall mobile data traffic, which will see a compound annual growth rate of 20% through 2029. The report noted that annual mobile data traffic growth is projected to slow at varying rates across different regions during the forecast period, depending on local market dynamics. Noting that traffic growth can be volatile, Ericsson pointed to factors such as global macroeconomic changes, growth in fixed wireless access (FWA) connections, and subscriber migration to later generations in markets such as India, Southeast Asia, Latin America, and Africa.