Ericsson’s latest Mobility Report has found that mobile data traffic since 2011 has increased 300-fold with 5.5 billion new phone connections coming online worldwide. The company said 4G LTE networks have been crucial to achieving these stats. It said that in recent years, the adoption of 5G has caused mobile data traffic to boom too.
Ericsson said that the technology lifecycle for 5G devices is faster than was the case for 4G. Already, 23% of handsets around the world support 5G while just 8% of devices were 4G-capable at the corresponding point in its lifecycle. With the quicker speeds, people have also been generating more data traffic. In the third quarter, mobile data traffic was up 42% compared to the same period the year before, for example.
Commenting on the findings, Fredrik Jejdling, Executive Vice President and Head of Networks, Ericsson, said:
“Mobile communication has had an incredible impact on society and business over the last ten years. When we look ahead to 2027, mobile networks will be more integral than ever to how we interact, live and work. Our latest Ericsson Mobility Report shows that the pace of change is accelerating, with technology playing a crucial role.”
In 2027, Ericsson’s forecasts suggest that 5G will be more prevalent than 4G, being used on around 50% of mobile subscriptions globally. While 50% seems a bit low considering the rate of adoption already, that 50% will actually cover 75% of the world’s population and 62% of the global smartphone traffic.
If you’d like to take a deep dive into the data that Ericsson has published, head over to its website and download the full report.