The United States is expected to be near the top of the pack as 5G connections grow past the 1 billion mark in the coming years, a new report from Juniper Research indicates.
According to Juniper’s forecast, the total number of 5G connections will increase from a projected 1 million in 2019 to a massive 1.4 billion by 2025. The firm noted those figures represent an average annual growth rate of 232 percent from the technology’s expected launch in 2019.
The firm said China, the United States, and Japan will lead the globe in 5G connections, together making up more than half (55 percent) of all 5G connections at the end of the forecast period. The United States in particular is expected to have the highest number of 5G connections for fixed wireless broadband and automotive services. The country will also account for nearly a third (30 percent) of global 5G Internet of Things connections by 2025, Juniper predicted.
But that latter figure doesn’t necessarily mean operators will be raking in as much revenue as they want from the new network.
Juniper noted the average revenue per connection for commercial IoT devices will be lower than some hope, particularly in the Smart Cities and Digital Health spaces. However, revenues from 5G fixed wireless broadband could help offset the lower IoT rates, as the average revenue per connection on the fixed side is expected to remain above $50 through 2025.
All told, Juniper predicted global operator billed revenue from 5G services will reach $269 billion by 2025, up from $850 million in 2019. The 2025 figure includes $95.3 billion in 5G operator revenues in the Far East and China, $82.3 billion in revenues for North American operators, and $54.1 billion in revenues for operators in Western Europe.
Among Juniper’s picks for the operators best positioned to capitalize on the 5G opportunity are SK Telecom, NTT Docomo, KT Corp, China Mobile, and AT&T. Juniper said its ranking was based on an evaluation of carrier development, breadth and value of partnerships, and progression of 5G network testing.
