Covid-19 impact: 5G launches and data speeds on the path to recovery

As operators deal with a rise in data demand and people around the world adapt to the new normal of remote working and social distancing, the performance of mobile networks is more important than ever. With the promise of faster speeds, high throughput and low latency, 5G is expected to become one of the key technologies to provide improved network performance and support this new normal of teleworking and staying at home. But plans for 5G have also been affected by Covid-19, with launches and spectrum auctions postponed. In this analysis, we look at how 5G rollouts are gathering pace again and how download speeds are now higher than they were pre-Covid-19. We also consider the critical role that policymakers have played in enabling this path to recovery.