Global 5G subscriptions exceeded 3 billion during the first quarter of 2026, reaching 3.1 billion after the addition of 162 million new subscriptions, according to Ericsson’s latest Mobility Report. Ericsson forecasts the total will more than double to 6.4 billion by 2031, with 5G expected to carry 85% of global mobile data traffic by the end of the forecast period. The report also shows growing momentum for 5G Standalone (SA) networks and commercial network slicing services, with the number of differentiated connectivity offerings rising from 65 to 84 worldwide.
Ericsson said operators are increasingly monetizing 5G through fixed wireless access (FWA) services, with 71% of FWA providers now offering the service over 5G and more than half using speed-based tariff plans. Adoption remains strongest in North America, the Nordics, the Gulf region and parts of Asia, where 5G is helping connect areas with limited fiber infrastructure. The company also highlighted the growing role of 5G in supporting enterprise digital transformation, cloud services and emerging AI-driven applications.
The report further revealed a significant shift in mobile traffic patterns, with uplink traffic growing faster than downlink for most operators as users upload more videos, cloud content and data from connected devices. Ericsson expects this trend to accelerate as AI applications become more distributed across smartphones, vehicles, wearables and smart city systems. The company said future AI-driven networks will rely heavily on advanced 5G capabilities such as Standalone architecture and network slicing to deliver reliable, application-specific connectivity.
Source : www. manilastandard.net









