Can the US Top China on 5G Adoption?
In our 2021 Fastest Mobile Networks testing, we found that T-Mobile was the only nationwide US carrier offering 5G that was markedly faster than 4G. "5G availability from the other carriers doesn’t really matter—yet," we said at the time.
The big three US providers have picked up the pace in 2022 with the launch of Verizon and AT&T C-band, plus T-Mobile's expanding mid-band coverage. But we still have a ways to go before 5G leaves 4G in the dust, according to the GSMA's Mobile Economy report—particularly when compared to China.
Globally, only 8% of mobile connections were 5G in 2021, the trade organization's report finds, though that's expected to jump to 25% by 2025 thanks to "economic recovery from the pandemic, rising 5G handset sales, network coverage expansions, and overall marketing efforts."
In North America, about 13% of connections were 5G last year. That should hit 63% by 2025, the GSMA says, as people say farewell to 4G and pick up 5G phones. (The GSMA didn't break out stats for the US alone.)
But the region with the strongest 5G presence is Greater China, where 29% of connections were 5G in 2021. The GSMA only expects that to grow to 52% by 2025, but there's already concern among US tech luminaries that China is eating our lunch when it comes to 5G.
In Europe, 4% of mobile connections were 5G in 2021, a figure that should rise to 44% by 2025. But elsewhere, 5G didn't really make its presence known. Asia Pacific reached only 2% coverage, while Latin America, the Middle East and North Africa, Russia and the Commonwealth of Independent States, and Sub-Saharan Africa had just 1% coverage.
By 2025, however, global 5G connections should reach 25%, the GSMA predicts. (We don't believe you'll start feeling the
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