As the use of smartphones and tablets on 4G LTE networks has grown dramatically, the demand for mobile data services has also increased. 5G is the wireless and mobile industry’s solution that will provide high quality mobile data services to satisfy mobile consumers’ demands, as well as the need for widespread IoT (Internet of Things) connectivity.
5G is an ecosystem, defined by ITU-R’s IMT-2020 5G standard that has the goal of improving the connectivity experience of the mobile consumer and enterprise.
The first 5G networks are not expected to be deployed before 2020, with the first commercial services launched in 2021.
However, the current LTE and LTE-Advanced network, including all improvements made to them between now and 2020, will lay the foundation for the 5G network. Unless the ground work is completed with LTE in the next few years, 5G IMT-2020 will not be launched commercially by 2021.
�How is the 5G market expected to develop globally? And how much bandwidth will IMT-2020 networks likely have to deliver?
iGR, a market research consultancy focused on the wireless and mobile industry, has recently published a market study that answers these questions. The study presents a model for the global development of 5G markets from 2021 to 2026, including the number of 5G connections and the amount of data used on the 5G networks in each region of the world. This model estimates that 5G connections based on the IMT-2020 standard will start slowly in 2021 and grow to 1.3 billion in 2026.
“Although much of the discussion surrounding 5G has involved the Internet of Things, 5G is expected to be used for many other use case scenarios, as well,” said Iain Gillott, President and Founder of iGR who is chairing the second day of 5G World in London this week.
“By looking at the many potential uses, services, and applications, iGR has built a model of how the 5G networks and markets could develop — both in the number of connections and in the amount of bandwidth used.”
