A study published by a global organization of telecom operators suggests that in the next three years, 5G connections in Asia Pacific will soar to 400 million, four times higher than this year’s level.
It meanwhile predicts a continuous acceleration of 5G’s momentum across the region as commercial 5G services are now accessible across 14 markets. This is due to the economic improvement following pandemic lows, as well as the increasing sales in 5G handsets and overall marketing efforts. Commercial 5G services are also expected to expand to other markets, including India and Vietnam in the coming years.
The study also shows that the mobile ecosystem continues to propel the regional economy, as technologies and services brought in 5% of GDP, which is tantamount to 770 billion dollars of economic value added. The industry also supported nearly 8.8 million jobs in 2021, and enabled financial contributions to the public sector.
According to the study, “The mobile industry continues to deliver social impact across Asia Pacific, primarily by providing the connectivity that enables the growth of small businesses and digital transformation of enterprises, and granting access to life-enhancing services and tools for citizens.”
And amid the continuous deployments of 5G networks, the technology’s ability to empower next-generation offerings—cloud services, artificial intelligence, internet of things and edge computing—will boost digital economic development and innovation.