Fifth-generation (5G) technologies are poised to support more than 10% of mobile connections globally as Internet connectivity rises over the next three years, a new report by information, communication and networking equipment and software multinational Cisco shows.
By 2023, 66% of the global population will have Internet access and there will be nearly 30-billion devices and connections, the latest Cisco ‘Annual Internet Report’ outlines.
About 45% of all networked devices will be mobile-connected, while 55% will be wired or connected over WiFi.
“What we are seeing from our research is a continuous rise in Internet users, devices, connections and more demand on the network than we could have imagined,” says Cisco senior VP and CTO Roland Acra.
In the next three years, there will be 3.6 networked devices/connections per person and nearly ten devices and connections per household, with 47% of all devices and connections video capable.
Global 5G connections will be 10.6% of total mobile connections by 2023, from a base of zero in 2018, while global low-power wide-area connections account for 14.4% of total mobile connections, compared with 2.5% in 2018.
The average 5G speed will be 575 Mb/s – 13 times faster than the average mobile connection despite significant surges in mobile, WiFi and fixed broadband speeds over the review period.
The average global mobile connection speeds will more than triple from 13 Mb/s in 2018 to 44 Mb/s by 2023, while global WiFi connection speeds will surge from the 30 Mb/s recorded two years ago to 92 Mb/s within the next three years.
Average global fixed broadband speeds will more than double from 46 Mb/s to 110 Mb/s.
Meanwhile, by 2023, global public WiFi hotspots will have increased to 628-million, up from 169-million in 2018, while global sixth-generation WiFi, or WiFi6, hotspots will grow 13-fold from 2020 to 2023, accounting for 11% of all public WiFi hotspots.
“Consumers and business users worldwide continue to create new demands and expectations for mobile networking. This ongoing trend is clearly highlighted by the adoption and use of mobile applications,” Acra continues.
“With advanced performance capabilities, 5G will deliver more dynamic mobile infrastructures for artificial intelligence and emerging Internet of Things applications including autonomous cars, smart cities, connected health and immersive video, besides others,” he added.
Social networking, video streaming and downloads, business productivity, e-commerce and gaming will drive the continued growth of mobile applications with nearly 300-billion downloaded by 2023.