5G is close to achieving a significant milestone. In its latest mobility report, telecom equipment manufacturer Ericsson claims that there will be 1 billion 5G subscribers worldwide by the end. This is still a far cry from 4G which saw 5 billion subscribers by 2022.
Ericsson believes that 4G will reach its peak in the next year and 5G will race to replace it. Although faster speeds are possible for many, they will likely cost more.
American carriers have been proclaiming 5G supremacy for the last three years. By the end of 2022, approximately 35% of all mobile subscribers will be using 5G. The good news is that mid-band 5G (aka the good stuff) now has 80% coverage, which is great news for US citizens.
The mid-band offers a sweet spot for wide coverage and speeds that are much faster than LTE connections. Ericsson also sees a trend in 5G that carriers are charging a premium for faster speeds, and that is not changing anytime soon.
Ericsson’s report about higher prices for 5G focuses mainly on Western Europe. It is more common to see different speed tiers for wireless connections in that region. Ericsson says:
There are 25 percent who charge a premium for 5G, over their 4G service, with an average price premium of around 40 percent. This pricing strategy is gaining momentum, and now 24 percent of those with a 5G offering use it to segment the market and motivate consumers to move up to higher-priced tiers.
In short, get ready to see more 5G coverage around the globe in 2023, but prepare to pay extra for it too.
As for Pakistan, we should expect to see 5G’s debut by July 2023, according to IT and Telecommunications Minister Syed Amin ul Haq. That is if the launch doesn’t get delayed for the nth time.
