Ericsson: 2023 year-end mobile report

Focus on 5G mid-band is intensifying, and 5G deployment in several regions will bring global coverage to 40% by the end of 2023. 5G subscriptions are growing in every region, including Sub-Saharan Africa. Despite the rapid growth of 5G globally, forecasts for ICT sustainability show that the carbon footprint per subscription has not increased.

5G mid-band coverage outside mainland China has increased from 10% in 2022 to around 30% by the end of 2023.

Half of all service providers offering fixed wireless access (FWA) now offer 5G services.

By the end of 2023, the number of 5G mobile users worldwide is expected to reach 1.6 billion.

By the end of 2029, global average mobile data consumption per smartphone is expected to reach 56 GB per month.

By 2029, 5G mobile users will exceed 5.3 billion

In the third quarter of 2023, 163 million new 5G users were added, bringing the total number to 1.4 billion.

5G adoption continues despite weak smartphone market

5G subscriptions are growing in every region

5G penetration is high in North America, with the region expected to reach 61% 5G subscriber penetration by the end of 2023. India, meanwhile, is expected to see 11% 5G subscriber penetration.

Mobile network data traffic is still rising

Mobile network data traffic grew 33% from the third quarter of 2022 to the third quarter of 2023.

5G will account for 25% of mobile data traffic this year

Upstream traffic is mainly communications and cloud storage services.

Traffic measurements in network samples show that upstream traffic typically accounts for an average of about 8% of total traffic. For cloud storage services, upstream traffic accounts for an average of 54% and downstream traffic accounts for an average of 46%.

Cellular IoT connections expected to reach 3 billion by 2023

Broadband IoT accounts for more than 50% of all cellular IoT connections.

5G wireless broadband service provider adoption reaches 50%

The number of service providers offering fixed wireless access (FWA) over 5G is growing in all regions, with more than half of global 5G FWA growth in the past 12 months coming from launches in emerging markets.

By the end of 2023, 5G mid-band coverage will reach 30%

Mid-band coverage outside mainland China is expected to reach 30%. Further popularization is needed to get a full 5G experience.

ICT sector footprint remains stable despite growth in users and data usage

The ICT sector consumes approximately 4% of the world’s electricity during the use phase and accounts for approximately 1.4% of global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in 2020. By 2030, electricity consumption is expected to grow slightly, while carbon emissions are expected to decline.