5G set to hit 637m connections by end of year, says CCS

5G will account for half of cellular connections in Western Europe by 2024

The number of 5G connections will reach 637 million worldwide by the end of this year, according to CCS Insight.

This number expected to more than double to 1.3 billion by the end of 2022 and surpass 3.6 billion by 2025.

This year alone, 560 million 5G-capable smartphones are predicted to be sold as markets transition to the technology globally, says CCS Insight.

Despite this, Western European markets are lagging some rival markets, particularly South Korea, where 30 per cent of mobile connections are expected to be 5G by the end of this year.

The research firm estimates that it won’t be until 2024 that 5G accounts for half of cellular connections in Western Europe.

“In another turbulent year for the mobile phone market, supply constraints in low-to-mid-tier segments, paired with weak demand in emerging markets, have dampened sales,” said CCS Insight vice president of forecasting Marina Koytcheva.

“But 5G-enabled devices have so far continued to find their way to the hands of people in the world’s most advanced markets, with 560 million 5G-capable smartphones projected to sell in 2021.”