5G connections to surpass 1 billion by 2025

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GSMA Intelligence is today publishing its forecast dataset for 5G connections, adoption and coverage of population for the period 2019–2025.
GSMA Intelligence forecasts that the number of 5G connections globally will reach 1.2 billion by 2025, accounting for around 14% of total connections excluding M2M. Operators in more than 40 markets have already announced plans to launch 5G, and several technologies have been successfully trialled around the world.
This is a summarised preview of our 5G forecasts for clients ahead of the full launch later this year.
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Learn moreRelated research
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