5G will account for nearly half - 49 per cent - of all mobile subscriptions by 2027, according to a new report by Ericsson.

There are currently around 8.1 billion mobile subscriptions worldwide according to the report, which Ericsson projects will increase to around 8.9 billion by the end of 2027, with 92 per cent of these being for mobile broadband.

5G subscriptions are expected to reach 4.4 billion in 2027 according to Ericsson, and to hit 660 million by the end of this year.

5G is on course to become the fastest adopted mobile network technology ever according to Ericsson, reaching 1 billion subscriptions over 2 years sooner than 4G did following its launch in 2009.

This number represents an increase from Ericsson’s previous estimate which it attributes mainly due to stronger than expected demand in China and North America, and partly by decreasing prices of 5G devices.

Currently, Northeast Asia has the highest 5G subscription penetration, followed by North America, the Gulf Cooperation Council countries, and Western Europe according to the report.

In 2027, it is projected that North America will have the highest 5G penetration at 90 percent, beating Western Europe which is expected to have a penetration of 83 percent by the end of 2027.

The report also covered massive IoT deployments, which it predicted will account for just over half - 51 per cent - of all cellular IoT connections by 2027, with use cases including e-health wearables, logistical asset tracking, environmental monitoring and smart meters, and smart manufacturing tracking and monitoring devices.

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