Latin America. The wireless telecommunications industry experienced another quarter of strong expansion and technological advancement, driven by the relentless progress of 5G technology.
During the first quarter of 2024, the adoption of 5G connections in the world continued its steady rise, reaching almost 2,000 million, having added 185 million new connections, according to data from 5G Americas and Omdia.
Chris Pearson, President of 5G Americas, stated, "The wireless industry continues to demonstrate its strength and importance through rapid adoption and robust, sustained growth around the world. North America continues to be at the forefront of 5G deployment."
North America Leads the Charge for 5G Adoption; 5G connections in the region comprise 32% of total wireless cellular connections. In particular, the region experienced healthy growth during the first quarter, with 22 million new connections to operator networks. In the first quarter of 2024, North America's 5G connections totaled 220 million.
Last quarter, Latin America also saw solid growth in 4G LTE and 5G connections, having added eight million new LTE connections out of a total of 591 million in the region. In addition, the region continues to embrace the 5G revolution with nine million new 5G connections, to reach a total of 48 million 5G connections. 4G LTE subscriptions remain strong across the region as 5G handset and spectrum availability continues to grow. "5G continues to accelerate while the growing number of carriers offering the technology continues to expand the population coverage of their networks in urban and suburban areas. In parallel, 4G continues its expansive presence in rural and remote areas, helping governments meet their national connectivity goals," said José Otero, Vice President for Latin America and the Caribbean at 5G Americas.
Looking ahead, Omdia's forecasts illustrate the telecommunications landscape that we could see throughout this decade. Global 5G connections are projected to reach 7.7 billion by 2028, with North America projected to boast an impressive 700 million 5G connections that same year.
Omdia Principal Analyst Kristin Paulin notes, "The North America region is quickly on track to have only LTE and 5G essentially. Most carriers have already disabled their legacy networks. In addition, the vast coverage of 5G and devices in a varied price range contribute to the adoption momentum of 5G. The Internet of Things (IoT) is also expected to play a larger role as a driver of 5G adoption later in the forecast."
The Internet of Things (IoT) ecosystem will continue to be an essential component of the digital revolution. Currently, IoT subscriptions around the world total 3,300 million, complemented by 6,700 million smartphone subscriptions. Forecasts suggest that IoT subscriptions will reach 5 billion, while smartphone subscriptions will rise to 8 billion by 2028, all of which highlights the evolving nature of connectivity and interconnectivity in our digital world.
Globally, the number of 5G networks deployed exceeded the pace of deployment of 4G LTE networks in the equivalent time of the technology cycle. There are almost as many 5G deployments in North America as there are 4G LTE networks. To date, there are 316 commercial 5G networks in the world, a number that is expected to grow along with significant investments in 5G infrastructure around the world. The number of 5G and 4G LTE network deployments as of June 17, 2024, is summarized below:
5G:
Global: 316
North America: 17
Latin America and the Caribbean: 40
4G LTE:
Global: 712
North America: 18
Latin America and the Caribbean: 134
