• by Chuck Martin , June 12, 2018

The number of cellular IoT connections being projected has nearly doubled since late last year and now is estimated to reach 3.5 billion in 2023, according to the latest edition of the Ericsson Mobility Report.

North America will lead, with all major U.S. cellular operators planning to roll out 5G between late this year to mid-2019. By the end of 2023, nearly half of all mobile subscriptions in North America are forecast to be for 5G, followed by North East Asia at 34% and Western Europe at 21%.

Major 5G deployments globally are expected from 2020 and mobile data traffic is projected to surge by eight times over the next five years.

The newer 5G high speeds are expected to be launched first in dense urban areas with enhanced mobile broadband and fixed wireless access as the first commercial use cases.

“This is the year 5G networks go commercial as well as for large-scale deployments of cellular IoT,” stated Fredrik Jejdling, executive vice president and head of business area networks at Ericsson.  “These technologies promise new capabilities that will impact people’s lives and transform industries. This change will only come about through the combined efforts of industry players and regulators aligning on spectrum, standards and technology.”

First-generation 5G data-only devices are projected to arrive later this year with the first commercial 5G smartphones expected early next year, with more sophisticated phones arriving later in the year.