Subscribe For Free
FOLLOW US

Ericsson raises 5G subscriptions forecast due to coronavirus pandemic

Paul Lipscombe
May 11, 2020

Nearly half of all mobile traffic by 2025 will be driven by 5G

Ericsson has adjusted its forecast for 5G subscriptions to hit 2.8 billion connections by 2025 as a direct result of the coronavirus pandemic.

It follows the 2.6 billion subscriptions initially predicted by the Swedish telecoms giant.

The vendor confirmed the adjustments during Ericsson Unboxed – which provided an online update on the business.

Almost half of all mobile traffic by 2025 will be carried on the 5G network.

Ericsson’s CEO and president Börje Ekholm spoke of the importance of 5G.

“5G will unlock the potential of the Fourth Industrial Revolution. While 4G gave us the app economy, 5G will be the greatest open innovation platform ever.”

Ekholm also revealed that consumers are willing to pay a premium for 5G services, citing a company study which said 20 per cent of respondents were willing to do this.

Connectivity 

During the virtual update, Ekholm also emphasised the importance of connectivity during this current crisis.

“More than ever connectivity is key. With the spread of Covid-19, fixed and mobile telecommunications networks have become an ever bigger part of the critical infrastructure.”

“Even when a country is in lockdown, our engineers are still active in order to keep the networks up and running.”

Ericsson is due to release its yearly Mobility Report next month.

Share this article