Global 5G Progress-Europe, USA, China, Japan, South Korea
Latest 5G Progress In The World
According to the data released by GSA, as of December 2020, 140 operators in 59 countries and regions around the world have opened 5G base stations based on the 3GPP standard, and it is expected that the global 5G commercial network will exceed 200 by the end of 2021.
As of December 2020, the global total deployment of 5G base stations has exceeded 1.02 million, among which:
• China's total 5G base stations reached 718,000;
• More than 121,000 base stations deployed in South Korea;
• About 100,000 5G base stations deployed in the US;
• More than 35,000 5G base stations deployed in Japan;
• More than 45,000 5G base stations deployed in Germany.
It is expected that by the end of 2021, the global total of 5G base stations will exceed 2.1 million, and China will have 1.5 million 5G base stations deployed.
By the end of Q4 2020, the total number of 5G users in the world has exceeded 225 million. In the fourth quarter alone, the number of 5G users increased by 50 million. It is clear that the number of 5G users will increase significantly in 2021.
It is expected that by the end of 2021, there will be more than 500 million 5G users worldwide, and the number of 5G users in China will reach 400 million. By 2025, the number of global 5G users will reach 3 billion, with a penetration rate of 30 percent.
Next, let's take a look at the detailed data of 5G development in major countries around the world (Europe/America/Japan/China/South Korea).
China Is Making Big Strides In 5G
China's 5G is divided into "three steps": in 2018, large-scale trial network; in 2019, commercial trial; in 2020, officially commercial deployment.
As of December 2020, the total number of 5G users in the world has exceeded 225 million, and China has more than 200 million 5G users, with the world's largest 5G network and the majority of 5G connections.
More than 1.02 million 5G base stations have been deployed globally, and China has more than 718,000 5G base stations. All cities at and above the prefectural level have full coverage of 5G networks, and the number of 5G terminal connections has exceeded 200 million.
In addition to building networks, China has not been slacking on 5G research and development. According to a research report on 5G patents and standards released by IPLytics in February 2020, one-third of 5G patents are from China.
South Korea's 5G, Never Stops Accelerating
South Korean carriers were the first in the world to deploy 5G on a large scale, and their 5G results have been excellent, generally far superior to those of other countries. IHS Markit compared the test results of 5G in four countries and found that LG U+ Seoul was the best.
Source: IHS Markit
South Korea is a clear 5G pioneer, with a 5G network covering 85 percent of cities and 95 percent of the population.
As of January 31, 2021, the number of 5G users in South Korea stood at 12,869,930, an increase of 8.6% month-on-month and the first monthly increase of more than 1 million. 5G users accounted for 18.2 percent, up 1.2 percent month-on-month, thanks to low-priced 5G packages and high subsidies.
South Korea has the second fastest 5G download speed in the world, with an average speed of 336.1Mbps, according to a new report released by OpenSignal.
The average download speed of 5G in South Korea was also 5.6 times faster than its average 4G download speed of 60.5 Mbps during the period tracked by OpenSignal between July 1 and September 28 in 15 countries and regions with 5G networks.
South Korea's early 5G services mainly focus on the eMBB applications, VR/AR, cloud games, live broadcasting and other entertainment projects have greatly promoted the development of 5G, involving sports, games, entertainment, education and other industries.
5G In The US, Slower Than Prediction
According to Omdia, there are about 9.9 million 5G users in the United States in 2020, which is less than previous prediction because of the impact of pandemic.
The United States is relatively leading in millimeter wave and dynamic spectrum sharing (DSS) technology. In addition to the generally promising 28GHz band, the United States is also actively promoting the deployment of 24GHz/37GHz/39GHz/47GHz commercial network, and has carried out commercial deployment of millimeter wave in New York, Los Angeles, Chicago and other cities. All three major carriers in the US have already offered millimeter-wave 5G commercial services.
However, the progress of 5G construction in the US is not really good. The US military's occupation of the communication frequency bands is one of the important reasons that limits civil communications.
European 5G, Struggling To Catch Up
In the fourth quarter of 2020, Europe completed its 5G spectrum auction. Some European operators have announced plans to shut down 3G networks to increase capacity on their 5G and 4G networks.
After reaching nationwide 5G coverage in December 2020, Denmark's TDC will begin phasing out its 3G network next year; In Germany, where all operators plan to phase out 3G, Deutsche Telekom has already redirected some of its 3G spectrum.
Europe has fallen behind the United States and Asia in the race to build 5G networks, even as major European operators have been ramping up investment.
But it is in Europe that the anti-5G phenomenon is the most serious. Opposition to 5G technology is on the rise, and conspiracy theories abound. After a very strong campaign against the construction of 5G base stations in 15 European countries, it is seriously hampering the adoption of 5G technology in Europe.
Japan's 5G, Ready To Go
In March 2020, Japan's three major telecom operators officially launched the commercial service of 5G network, which is obviously a late start compared with the above countries.
The commercialization of 5G has been slow in Japan, where KDDI has built about 10,000 5G base stations and plans to build 50,000 by March 2022, covering 90% of the population.
NTT DoCoMo is the largest mobile operator in Japan, and its 5G network is also more advanced than others. However, as of August 1, 2020, NTT DoCoMo had only 240,000 5G subscribers, while the other two carriers had even fewer.
But Japan seems to have more hopes for 6G than 5G. The Japanese government will allocate 50 billion yen ($482 million) to support research and development of 6G advanced wireless communications services in Japan.
